I Sentieri Scelti::: translation: The Chosen Paths
by Little Bag of Life and Death
Summary: When Christine returns to give Erik a last goodbye, she doesn't realize it's to stay forever. Can her love save Erik from the depths of insanity? And how will he live with the dark secrets he's keeping from her?
1. Chapter I

**I Sentieri Scelti**

**Or, Not All Roads Lead to Rome**

**By Egan Andre Kyre**

**Chapter I**

                Aided by the neat list created to hasten the wedding date, I obediently, yet in an aloof fashion, arranged an invitation for each guest.  The thin, black pen seeped easily through the paper as I wrote, and each heading began with the same cheerful words and inviting air.  Neither of which I truly possessed.  My hand seemed to have acquired a mind of its own and wrote onward without a trace of pause or judgment.  Hours could have passed, but it was near-impossible to tell.  Nevertheless, before very long, there appeared a stack of envelopes in the corner of the oaken table, ones which would be delivered tomorrow.  All my letters were seemingly and gladly finished, and I paused in the act to rest my hand and my thoughts.  The cluster of flowers Raoul had brought earlier caught my eye, and at the wholesome sight, I felt a curious tug at my heart.  They were daisies, and their soft petals brushed daintily against each other, delicate enough to fall apart at a touch.  _The red red rose…_

The pen suddenly seemed to grow heavier and I placed it down across the paper, my light-hearted signature blurring before my eyes.  With wary resignation, I reread what I had last written, over and over again, realizing that the contents belonged to a girl who was entirely different than I.  "Please join us for this wonderful celebration!…" 

                I stared blankly at the paper for a long moment and felt myself wishing that there was some other way to arrange my words.  I couldn't help the thought that it was impudent to seem so happy when there was suffering elsewhere.  Yet even if my words contradicted the present mood, this truly was a wonderful celebration.  Surely, in time, everything would only be a dreary but distant memory that was effortlessly forgotten.  Then I would concentrate on being the wife Raoul wished and not the timid, trembling girl who lingered in the past.  Yet…It was a ridiculous concept.  I could just as quickly and easily block out my entire life.  I did not think I even wanted to forget…

                My gaze returned to the flowers on the table, and without warning, they seemed to change shape and grow taller until they formed crimson red roses.  My heart began to pound and I looked away quickly, the doubling heartbeat adding to the sudden dryness in my mouth.  After a few moments, I managed to gather the resolution to look back again only to find that they had miraculously reverted to their earlier form.  Now I only stared with a tantalizing horror at the snow-white marguerites.  

                The faint shaking in my movements was intelligible as I folded the letter and placed it into an envelope, one that nearly matched the color of my hands.  I straightened the stack that did not need straightening while skimming through each invitation.  The names written in neat cursive appeared so happy that they were actually difficult for me to read, and I quickly put them away.  I was only prolonging the inevitable…

                There was one last invitation…One more to write.  The name was not on the list, for I hadn't added it under the others.  Somehow, it seemed immoral to see his name below the wealthy aristocrats of Paris and my own simple friends.  Yet the name lingered in my mind, as did the vow, and I knew that I could never break the last promise I made to him. 

                I extinguished all the candles until there was only a small one left to give me light and drew the curtains shut with a swift motion.  For some reason, it was proper to keep the sunlight out while I wrote this invitation.  With a slow and hesitant movement, I took my place at the desk.  If I were to write the same things I had in the other personalized letters that accompanied the printed cards, it would be nothing short of cruel.  Slowly, I picked up the pen again, thinking over a few things I might say and dismissing each.  Finally, giving up at trying to figure out the perfect words, I took a small breath and began to write.

                Erik,

                I would be delighted if you would attend my celebration of marriage to the Vicomte de Chagny held at the Julet Catholic Church on the corner of Avenue Rouge at the hour of five o'clock.  I thank you for your blessings.

                Love,

                Christine

                It sounded so dreadfully impersonal that I started to crumple the paper and throw it away…But then I stopped myself.  This letter was a finality, a goodbye.  It was the end.  There was nothing more to say.  Decided, I folded the letter and slipped it inside the envelope, not bothering to properly close it.  The only thing left to do was deliver it.  Deliver my goodbye and seal the promise.  I knew at that moment when he asked me to come back that he had made it easier for the both of us.  When I left, it was with the comforting knowledge that I would be back soon…Only to give him a wedding invitation.  The very request would have been almost absurd, but the way it was spoken…There was no mocking tone in his voice.  It was calm, serious, and pronounced in such a way I would never think to refuse.  After all that had happened, I only wanted this to be finished.  To leave Erik knowing that he would forgive me.  That I would be able to give him something, even if not what he truly wished.  If his last wish was to gain respect, it is something I would not deny him.  Never again… 

                The bare sun that seeped through the closed curtains was so austere that I finally drew them back again, and automatically my hand rose to cover my eyes.  The furthest I could see past Raoul's iron gate was part of the cobblestone street, and there were so many people and carriages that it was impossible to see anything else.  Raoul did not live far from the Opera, it was within walking distance and I knew very well how to get there.  I also knew it would be best to go alone.  If Raoul were with me, it would seem as though I no longer trusted Erik, and I didn't want that.  And even as Raoul promised he would take me back, there was doubt that he would hold to it.  No, I would not trouble Raoul or risk the possibility of his anger.  The best thing to do would be to go back alone and say goodbye to him in my own way without Raoul there to hold a pistol and demand that Erik stay far back. 

                With a new determination, I picked up my dark blue cloak and fastened the clasp around my shoulders.  I kept the letter half hidden behind me and the hood drawn up, so there would be no sudden recognition in the broad daylight.  We had left the Opera on uncertain, yet not poor terms, but even so, I had no wish to be approached by anyone. 

                I left the room quickly, leaving behind the one candle and the rest of the invitations.  I knew that Raoul was asleep, but even as I passed his bedchamber, I stepped carefully and quietly.  There was no sound from within, and I realized now he would sleep through the afternoon; for in these last couple weeks, he had rarely closed his eyes.  I knew that my grieving silence had changed Raoul to a state I had never seen in him before.  Because of me, my betrothed's chiseled face had grown pale and his eyes formed a misery that darkened his features when I would begin to cry in the middle of supper.  A bleak silence had settled over us since the day of our departure.  I said nothing to him, only helped the maids simply so that I would have something to preoccupy my mind.  He tried to speak to me, but I would barely respond, my heart too heavy and my words forced.  Reluctantly, he gave up trying, and as I watched him slip into his own thoughts, guilt possessed every nerve in my body.  At night, I sat by the fire, my gaze drawn by the flickering flames and my mind drifting…Sometimes I could even imagine a voice.  A perfect, melodious voice speaking of old knight's tales that only my father knew.  _A soft voice that lingers…_The voice was often interrupted by another man's, asking me if I needed anything.

                I reached the stairs and started down them, lifting my skirt with one hand.  I could hear the echo of voices coming from the kitchen.  I remained on guard until I passed the swinging door, pausing only in the foyer to listen once more.  Nothing.  Both relieved that I had managed not to draw any attention and surprised that it had been so simple, I hurried to the door and opened it.

 "Christine?"

                I froze at the sound of Raoul's voice, but finally turned apprehensively, still keeping the letter safe behind my back.

                He was watching me from the sitting room across the passage, seated in one of the armchairs near the fire, a newspaper propped in his hands.  There was a rustle as he set it down and stood, his eyes holding mine with confusion.  "Where are you going?"

                There was no possible way I could lie to him.  I held his troubled gaze as he moved closer to me, waiting for an answer I knew I couldn't give, but also one I had to.  With a slow movement I lifted the letter, a gesture that was plainly obvious.

                Raoul looked at it for a moment, then back to me, understanding precisely now where I intended to go.  His tone rapidly changed from puzzlement to anger in a matter of seconds.  "You are actually going to consider returning?!" 

                The pained disbelief in his voice made me wince, but I turned slightly away, almost protectively clutching the envelope between my hands.  "I have to, Raoul!"

                He shook his head quickly, his voice comforting, "You don't have to do anything…Don't let him make you think that."

"I do have to go back! He asked it of me…I couldn't bear…" 

                Raoul's voice was filled with sadness.  "Oh, Christine!  Soon you won't think of it again…We are leaving soon.  You don't have to fulfill such a ridiculous vow."

                I felt the familiar prickle of tears as I realized that, even now, Raoul did not respect Erik.  Even after he let me go…Erik's wishes meant nothing to him, and even if Raoul promised, that too meant nothing.  "But…We gave our word…"

"Did you think I would actually do such a thing?  My God, Christine, the man is a lunatic! I will never take you back there…Or let you go by yourself!" He added when I began to speak. 

"He won't do anything, Raoul.  He has let me go…It's over…I just need to—" 

                He interrupted me, seizing my shoulders suddenly enough for me to gasp.  "No!  I will not let you go back there!  He will never let you return, don't you see that?  It will all start over again!  You are falling right into his trap!"

                I jerked away angrily and with a new boldness, snapped back at him.  "There is no trap!  I shan't even be gone for very long!  I must do this, Raoul! Please, can't you understand?"

                He drew his hands back from me, a cold fury replacing his previous panic.  "No.  I can't understand, Christine." 

                I pulled the hood over my face, speaking low and deliberately.  "I can see that now."  Once more I turned from him and started to the door.  

                He grabbed my arm, desperate now.  "Christine, please!"

                I looked back at him briefly, and was surprised by my own conviction.  "No!"

                His jaw set and I recognized the slow, stubborn, painful anger, but I did not back down, pulling from his grip swiftly.  "I am leaving now, Raoul." 

                Raoul looked at me long and hard, his voice raising even as a few servants had already crept from the kitchen to listen.  "If you leave now, do not bother to return!  Do you hear me?  If you leave now, this is goodbye!  Is that what you want?  If you leave me now, it really is finished!  If you leave here now, I will not take you back!"

                I paused at the door and looked back at him.  His words stunned me so much that I could not move.  Could he possibly mean such a thing?  I looked at his eyes, which shone almost with triumph that he had stopped me.  No…A separation from Raoul was unthinkable, but how could I stand to live with myself, with him, knowing that I had run from Erik even in the end?  Slowly, I took a step back from him.  The relief in his eyes disappeared and he looked doubtful.  I took another step.

"Christine—!"

                At that, I turned, ran the last few steps, and flung open the door.  I took the steps two at a time, stumbling at the bottom. 

                He stopped at the doorway.  "Christine!  Come back!"

                I hurried to the gate and pushed it open easily.  Without looking back or even pausing, I slipped through and into the crowd, hidden from all sides in a matter of seconds.  Only then did I dare to look back.  The gate stood open where I had left it and Raoul was nowhere in sight.  I relaxed a little and sighed, forcing myself not to think of Raoul's words or what might be the outcome of my actions.  Instead, I concentrated on where I was going and picked up my pace, the fear that Raoul would still catch me not dissipating. 

~~~~~~~~~******~~~~~~~~~******~~~~~~~~~

                Shouts and the laughter of everyone around me sounded foreign to my ears, and I realized I had not heard such a noise in a long time.  Laughter had become strange to me, and I couldn't remember the last time I dared to laugh out of happiness.  All seemed to have occurred a long time ago, but only a few weeks really passed since I had wandered these streets…Or sang at the Opera.  I had aged so much from that time that, as I had been in Raoul's house, solitarily surrounded by silence and weeping, that only now was I truly with the world once more.  Everything around me was like a dream, moving in slow motion.  Life was a dream…And I could have stayed with this crowd for hours, realizing how much I missed reality, but I couldn't be gone too long.  The sooner I returned, the sooner I could hope to make amends with Raoul, and the sooner I could hope to forget, the sooner we both could.  Upon realizing this, I forced myself to focus on what I had first come to do and lowered my head to walk even faster. 

                Before very long, I turned down one of the back streets and knew by heart that this eventually led to the Rue Scribe.  Few people passed me, and soon I could only hear my own footsteps echo on the pavement.  The air was cool, but heavy with a silence that began to increase with dread.  All of a sudden, I wondered if Raoul might have been right.  Perhaps I shouldn't return; it might be better for all of us.  For Erik and I never to see each other again, for Raoul to let go of his suspicions and fear.  For me to release the past.  How could I hope to forget if I returned?  Slowly, I raised my eyes to the looming Opera and knew then that I had come too far to turn back.  My hand lowered to the pocket of my cloak, and I felt the metal outline of the key that had been there since he had given it to me.  I heard the rhythmic pound of my heart as I lifted it to the gate, and noticed that my hand was trembling slightly.  I hesitated one last time, the key poised, then swiftly unlocked the gate and swung it open.  There was a long, rusty creak, then silence.  Darkness was there to greet me, but so accustomed that I was quicker to venture into it then stay and speculate discovery.  I closed the gate behind me but did not lock it.  I did not think Raoul would come after me. 

                The dark and musty cellar brought back so many memories that it was painful.  I remembered the hallways and corridors perfectly and barely had to think as I walked relatively quickly through familiar pathways.  There was a faint scent when I first entered, but as I neared the lake, it became more prominent until I finally identified it as what seemed to be oil…For the briefest moment, I found this rather puzzling, but I didn't have much time to ponder over it as the underground lake came into view.  The boat was on my side, but I had never attempted to go across by myself…I stopped next to the shore and stared down at it for a moment, at the pole laying beside and halfway in the water.  Not too long ago, he helped me into this same boat and poled across, singing to me so softly that it was a bare whisper in the wind yet all the more captivating.  He had held this pole and stealthily brought us across the dead, calm lake.  A bare ripple…His outstretched hand…The faint sound of water lapping against the wooden sides…And now…There was only the empty boat.  And the silence.  The silence that stretched on and produced a sudden breathtaking fear.  It wasn't like Erik to be so careless.  Something must have happened to make him leave the boat like this, and on the wrong side!  Should I call to him?  Would he hear me?  I opened my mouth and started to, but his name caught in my throat.  Surely I could get across myself and without troubling him.  If he was even still there…But I was unable to think of the horrible possibility that he wouldn't be.

                With new purpose, I bent and picked up the pole.  Quickly, I stepped inside the splintered craft and pushed away from the shore.  It rocked for a few moments precariously, and my heart jumped as I prayed that it wouldn't tip over.  The boat seemed so steady when Erik maneuvered it, but what foolishness made me believe I would be able to? 

                Now though, it was too late to think about such things.  The boat was drifting slowly away from the shore, and my grip tightened on the pole.  I could do this, if I tried hard enough.  I only had to pole my weight, imagine how hard it was for Erik!  Yet even as I thought that, I knew to him it was not in the least bit difficult.  Very slowly, I stood and tried to keep my weight evenly distributed on both sides of the boat, ignoring the wobble.  I dipped the pole into the water and pushed hard.  My heart leapt as the boat moved a few feet, and I felt a surge of triumph.  At least now I did not have to resort to swimming!

                Yet, only with a few more strokes, my arms began to get tired, and the opposite shore further away.  I remembered Raoul, and how he looked when I told him I was going back.  How he expected me to come running when he threatened to cancel the marriage.  I closed my eyes tightly and, at that anger, slid the pole through the water quickly and sharply.  Raoul couldn't expect me to yield on his every whim!  He couldn't use love as a tool to blackmail me and make me do as he said! 

                The boat hit the bank roughly with a dull thud, and my eyes snapped open.  The bottom of the boat was scraped up against the ground.  I dropped the pole, relieved, and stepped out onto the solid stone.  For once, I was pleased with the way I handled myself.  I did something freely and on my own, without having to call for help.  That good mood lasted until I reached Erik's door.  The other key weighed down in my hand as I remained just outside.  Did I dare cross this barrier…?  Have I come this far only to turn around and run back to Raoul's safe arms?  Even as I doubted he would welcome me that easily, it sounded better then crossing into the unknown.  Entering the cellars was different, I knew what to expect.  Here…The very place radiated with his presence, frightening to the point that my throat tightened and my heart once again picked up its pace.  He was here. 

                With a gesture that took all of my will, I placed the key in the eye and opened the door carefully.  The room was empty.  It was just how I remembered, but there was a strange settle in the air, as if it had not been disturbed or even lived in since I left.  Was that possible?  Shakily, I moved a little forward, pausing at the piano and brushing my hand against the beautiful furnishing.  Dust coated my palm when I lifted it.  All my fears began to contradict each other.  Fear that he was here, and then terror that he might not be.  I swallowed then took a breath, gathering my courage carefully to speak. 

"Erik?"

                The sound of the word weighed heavily throughout the room, disturbing the settled air like a gunshot.  There was no answer.  Forcing my legs to work, I opened the door to his room.  Uncomfortably, I looked inside for only a moment, nervous because I had never been permitted to do so. 

"Erik?"

                He was not there. 

                I searched the other rooms, disheartened, realizing already that I would not find him in any of these.  I called his name frequently at first but then eventually stopped, left with faded hope.  By the time I reached what had been my room, there was complete silence once more, and I did not hesitate to open the door. 

                There was something different about this room.  The feeling in the air seemed lighter, and as I checked the top of the dressers, there was no dust to speak of.  Everything was perfect, the way I had left it, as if it had miraculously been preserved in the time I was gone.  Not sure what to think, I glanced down at the dressing table and lowered my hand to gently touch the brush and comb that I left behind. I trailed the cursive "C" that was engraved on the back of the brush with one finger, and as I did, my chest tightened and I backed away with a sudden and overwhelming urge to run.  I could leave the invitation in a place he would find it and hurry back up to the streets.  The streets filled with laughing people and noisy carriages.  The idea was so becoming that I closed the door to my room quickly and hurriedly placed the letter on the piano.  I glanced back only once before turning to the door.

_                Nothing was there._


	2. Chapter II

**Chapter II******

                I drew in my breath sharply and froze.  I knew what to expect now.  This was not the first time doors had disappeared in this house, and I bit back a small cry before whirling around to face the piano.

                His presence was so sudden; it took me a moment to register it at all.  The letter was elegantly poised in his hand as he read, a frozen posture that was somehow even more intimidating than had he moved at all.  The bare light gleamed against the black mask and rippled with the velvety cloak he wore.  A black shadow…Unmoving and unrelenting.  Tall, dark, and a frightening apparition of the night.  His head lifted then to look at me, the invitation lowering, and I felt a shiver run up my spine as his eyes met mine, electrifying even in my fear. 

"Very well written, my dear."

                At the moment he spoke, the letter disappeared from his hand and I inhaled sharply.

                Even as it sounded inane, I knew of nothing else to say: "…Thank you."

                There was a tense moment of silence.  Somehow I thought that our meeting would be different than this, but now I knew of no words to speak and began to edge resolutely towards where the door had been.

                His voice stopped me.  The voice I could never block out.  The unearthly beauty that made me believe he was an Angel.

"Are you leaving me so soon?  Don't be impolite, Christine. Stay for a few minutes, won't you?  It is not often I have the pleasure of company…Please, have a seat…"

                It was impossible for me to refuse.  I nodded and moved towards a couch.  His eyes followed my every move.  Unnerved by them, I looked away and sat down cautiously.

                Erik spoke again.  And though his gaze was still burning, his tone was, as ever, courteously formal.  "Would you like something to drink?"

"Yes," I agreed quickly, eager for anything I could concentrate on besides his penetrating stare. 

                He gestured to the small end table directly beside me.  A petite glass was already there, though I could not really remember it being there before…I picked it up but didn't drink, staring down at its contents silently.  Raoul was probably at home right now, worrying, thinking about where I was and becoming even more angry and worried…

                Once again his voice sliced through my thoughts.  "Is something wrong?" 

                I looked up at Erik and shook my head too quickly; I have never been a good liar to speak of.  "N—No…"

                I knew he must not believe me.  I did not even believe myself, but Erik didn't question it further.  He only changed the subject to a more sensitive one, and I wondered for a moment if he was aware. 

"Does he know you are here?"

                I swallowed before answering.  "Yes…"

                He studied me for a moment without speaking from where he stood, like a statue by the dust-covered piano, and then made a slight gesture.  "Drink, Christine." 

                I lifted the glass to my lips, lowering my gaze from his as I took a small sip.  It was cold and tasted somewhat like tea…If not a bit strong.  I lowered the glass again and kept my eyes down as well. 

"And he allowed you to come?"

                The question was like a slap in the face, and I drew back somewhat, lowering my head until pieces of my hair fell across my eyes.  "I…He…He did not want me to come, no."

                He still had not moved from that spot and I kept my hands clasped tightly around the glass, twisting them, anxiously.  I don't know what made me continue, to tell him everything that happened, but I couldn't stop myself.  Perhaps I needed to tell someone.  "He was saddened at first…Then angry…And then he said that if I came here that he would not take me back."

                I did not look at him and he was silent for a few moments, seeming to be thinking over what I had said.  I blinked back a few tears that managed to surface and hoped he didn't see them.  I felt almost ashamed of my sadness and devotion towards someone who was so quick to cancel something so important as engagement to marriage that would seal our love.  Erik seemed to have put his trust in Raoul that last night, and I was sure I had just ruined that.  Perhaps my trust in Raoul was ruined as well after what had happened.  I didn't know what to feel about it…I was no longer angry, just terribly hurt.  Did Raoul really believe our marriage was of no value or importance?  That it was something he could cancel as simply as a restaurant reservation? 

"I don't…He was serious…"

                Erik began to move towards me soundlessly, and all words were forgotten.  Slowly my head raised, and as he approached, my gaze never left him.  I was suddenly too mesmerized to be surprised.  His movements, graceful and so swift I had no time to react, he tipped two fingers under the glass and raised it back to my lips, lifting it slowly and bidding me to drink from it.  I did obediently, having no strength or will to resist.  He did not back away until I finished every drop. I lowered the glass and set it back down on the table shakily, my eyes still locked on his.

                The tone of his voice was soft and comforting, a way I hadn't heard him speak in a long time.  Perfectly musical within itself.  "Would you like me to play for you before you leave?"

                I nodded and leaned back against the couch, not realizing how long of a walk it was from Raoul's estate to the Opera and how just now I began to feel the aftermath.  I felt exhausted.  He stepped away from me and distinctly I felt my muscles relax.  I closed my eyes as the first chords were struck in a beautiful melody I couldn't recall hearing before.  It soothed even the slight pain in my feet, and before long the rich full notes were the only thing filling my mind.  My breathing deepened and distantly I saw a shadow.  A blackness that gradually grew from a little pinpoint to cover my whole consciousness.  The music was progressively swallowing me, drowning me, invading my senses until I was aware of nothing else.  A distant melody echoed in my mind as I felt myself slipping into a deep warmth.  I did nothing to fight the sleep, and relaxed completely as my eyelids fell and I lost myself in the darkness.

~~~~~~~~~******~~~~~~~~~******~~~~~~~~~

                **_I did not cease to play for a quarter of an hour until the sonata ended.  I knew I needed not continue, for the narcotic in the drink had finished its iniquitous work within a matter of moments.  No, that was not the reason…The music for me was generous.  If I continued to play, I did not have to register the reality that she slept behind me on the sofa that had for weeks held nothing but the gathering dust.  I did not have to regard the impending consequences of the deed I had just begun.  The plan so carefully wrought and so patiently executed.  I had waited for a dreadfully long time, but I needed these fifteen minutes of separation from the world as the crystal notes fell from my fingers and the silted dust shivered over the wooden surface in the regular light of the lamps.  _**

**_                Now retard…The coda stretched on, one of the most elaborate and lingering cadences in written music…A pity she was not awake to hear it.  But it could not last forever, and then there was silence.  And the empty music stand of the piano before me.  So silent that I thought, She has disappeared.  It was only a brief dream.  The same I had dreamt day after night since she had walked out that door for the last time.  And it would be the last time.  The last time she would ever leave me in this life._**

**_                I turned and she was there.  Now I could hear the soft sound of her breath as the strands of hair fallen across her neck rose and sank with the deep slumber.  Dear, unhappy Christine, you have returned, and you belong to the night once more.  Forevermore._**

**_                Leaning over her oblivious sleeping form, I lifted her from the dust-covered couch.  _**

**_"This is no place for an angel to dream."_**

**_                The words were soft though I knew nothing could wake her now.  I had forgotten how light she was as I held her in my arms…Like an arrested sparrow…Could it be that she was lighter? Her skin was pale and her face thinner.  It seemed she had not slept for days.  She had been falling with no one to catch her.  So light…Like the petal of a flower…_**

**_                I carried her to her room and laid her on the clean coverlet of the bed.  Dimming the light beside her, the flawless cameo that was her silhouette before the glow seemed surrounded by an impenetrable halo.  She lay as perfectly and as serene as martyred saint. _**

**_                The jeweled engagement ring she had been wearing on her finger that I now held before my eye seemed almost dull in this light.  I let it fall into my grasp before it disappeared like a good ring.  A well-trained trinket in a flash of sleight-of-hand.  It hadn't even fit her dainty finger very well._**

**_"Soon, Christine…Very soon…"_**

**_                The jarring sound of the electric alarm bell broke the celestial atmosphere.  It was sudden but not unexpected.  Despite all of his flaws, the Vicomte de Chagny has always seemed to have impeccable timing.  _**

****

****

****


	3. Chapter III

**Chapter III**

****

**_                The air on the lake was heavy and cold.  The boy's wet shape was a blot in the charming, shimmering light that reflected from the slick waters of my lagoon.  Had he braved those waters and swum across to reach Christine?  So he had not been as serious as she had thought in the brash statements she'd recounted to me.  So much for wishing._**

**_                I watched him from where he could not see me as he scrambled to search for my door.  It did not look to me as if he planned to knock before entering…My, but how easily he became frustrated!  Soon he was shouting vulgarities that echoed in my cellar and cursing my name, demanding his fiancée be returned to him._**

**_"Demon! Beast!…Christine, are you here? Can you hear me?…Monster! I demand that you release her!"_**

**_                After several minutes, I did not think I could stand much more of this.  How many marks against yourself should I allow you, young man, before we turn up the heat? Shall I be generous?  Shall we say, perhaps, seven?  It is said to be a lucky number.  But whose luck: Yours or Mine?_**

**_"If you are wise, you will shut your mouth and go back the way you came."_**

**_                He was startled by the sound of my voice, glancing in every direction.  He would not find me.  I was closer to him than he ever could have suspected._**

**_"Where is Christine?  I demand to see her!"_**

**_"She is not here.  If you value your life, you will leave immediately."_**

**_"I know she is here!" he yelled furiously into the air, turning and glancing behind him towards the still water.  "She told me she was coming here, and now you are keeping her prisoner!  Release her at once!"_**

**_                Really now…I would hardly consider Christine sleeping peacefully in her own bed a prisoner.  And I, of all people, her keeper?  No, her devoted slave.  That was One, boy._**

**_"Then she never made it here.  Perhaps she became lost on her way out of your estate."_**

**_                His face reddened to a shade of enraged scarlet that was intelligible even in this mute light. I could not help laughing at his spectacle and he scrutinized the air above him, attempting to pinpoint the location of sounds of my mirth._**

**_"Jackal! I want to see her!"_**

**_"Oh, but she does not want to see you."_**

**_                He took a step back towards the water and attempted to mask his distress at the sudden change in my voice._**

**_"Then she _is_ here with you!"_**

**_                That idiotic look of triumph on your face just bought you number Two, Monsieur._**

**_"Yes, and I, Mlle. Daaé's humble envoy, do bring you a message from her own lips."_**

**_"Where is she?  I demand to see her!"_**

**_"She does not wish to speak with you and bids you depart."_**

**_"These are not her words!  You are keeping her locked away inside that madhouse!  I refuse to let you torture her.  If you do not let her go, I will return with police and make you release her by force!"_**

**_                I believe I hear the clock striking Three._**

**_"If you think you will live to accomplish such a feat, you are fatally mistaken.  Christine wants never to see you again.  She has come to me of her own wishing and stays of her own need.  You have lost all right to make demands."_**

**_"She is my fiancée!  And she will be my wife!  You, beast, are nobody!  You cannot keep us apart!  You! Decrepit lunatic who will not even face me like a man!"_**

**_                Father Time is ticking to Four._**

**_"She is no longer your fiancée.  She asked me to give you that."_**

**_                As the jeweled ring fell at his feet, he bent swiftly to retrieve it, staring with spiteful gaze in the most opposite direction of where I actually stood._**

**_"Be glad I simply did not throw it away.  Perhaps you may yet return it and be reimbursed for your ten francs…Do not look so incensed!  I do not think I will be able to prevent giving way to laughter!"_**

**_                He had to struggle to speak calmly enough to be understood and was incapable of subsiding the tremor in his voice._**

**_"Viperous magician.  I am too strong to walk away and let you win.  My love for Christine is too strong!  As is her love for me!  You are nothing but a blight in this hell!"_**

**_                And the Fifth bead of the abacus is slid to the left.  But he had not finished:_**

**_"I _will_ find a way to destroy you!"_**

**_"Well," I answered with untailored words, "Would you be so kind as to find it within the next ten minutes?  I do have other appointments to keep."_**

**_"Demon!"_**

**_"You young men these days, always assuming you are the only schedule on the agenda."_**

**_"Fiend!  Beast!  I demand to see Christine!"_**

**_                I must count that as Six, Chagny; you are becoming far too repetitive.  You are wasting your marks…And there is only one left!  My, you do go on…And how many synonymous names you seem to know for the word Erik…_**

****

**~~~~~~~~~******~~~~~~~~~******~~~~~~~~~**

**                I was hidden but dared not so much as breathe. That intractable viscount might as well have been calling out to death itself as I watched him shout his curses and threats into the empty dark…But he knew as well as I did that the dark was not empty even though the hollow echo of the demon's voice had not resounded for several minutes now.  This impertinent silence infuriated Chagny more than any hostile answer could have. He choked and sputtered on his words; I had never seen such fury in him even when, together, we had traversed the monster's lair in search of Christine Daaé. This time, though, he had been wise enough not to land himself in that chamber of tortures…but as this display progressed, I was no longer sure how wise I had been to follow him.**

**                I had not seen or heard of Erik since the day he came to my flat and told me the death of the Comte de Chagny had been an accident. I believed him then, for he was wretchedly miserable, but now, as I watched this pageant of Cat and mouse, I was not so sure that it had not, after all, been the siren who pulled count Philippe into the dark waters of the lagoon…That sill, silent lake from which the heavy odor of oil drifted…It was a strange smell that I had never noticed before, but I did not have the time to dwell on that as the sudden silence in the tomb called my attention back to the Vicomte. He shook with anger in the pale blue light of the cellar, his cache of oaths and demands evidently run dry.**

**                The silence was more threatening than any words and I was possessed with the feeling that this was the calm before the storm. I knew Erik must have been enjoying this game he played…but Chagny was a poor sport, and he did not last long.**

**"Coward!" The young man's word was spat into the air, an ultimate summation, and I thought he would leave now…And perhaps he would have…but for the long awaited disembodied reply:**

**"Are you yet here?"  The monster's voice was so filled with a denigrating tone of patronizing annoyance that Chagny flew into immediate fury.**

**"I will _die_ before I leave here without Christine Daaé!" he exclaimed, every word more passionate than its predecessor.**

**                Erik's voice was dark and chillingly close…"You should have said so before."**

**                This surprised the Vicomte and he took a quick step back towards the lake as the darkness came alive around him.  I pressed myself back against my hiding place, watching with horror as part of the blackness itself seemed to detach and thrust the unaware Viscount up into the air and, with a rush, far off into the lake.**

**                The blow had been unexpected and Raoul rose to the surface of the water, splashing and gasping for air.  I saw Erik, distinctly now, turn on the edge of the lake as he was suddenly illuminated by the flash of a small flame, like that of a newly lit match, that appeared in his hand.  He casually lifted his head and looked to the floundering young man and then, with equal coolness, tossed the burning ember onto the water.**

**"And saved me the trouble…"**

**                He finished his phrase from before, though I was not listening…My eyes were trained on that discarded light, for, instead of being extinguished by the water, the surface of the lake was immediately aglow with flame!  The air rushed around me, and the fire quickly grew to mountainous proportions and spread across the lake.  In the bright glow which illuminated every crevice of the cellar, now, I beheld the Vicomte's eyes grow wide with fear as the fire ravenously engulfed him.  He must have had the sense to submerge himself, then, for he disappeared from my sight.**

**                My gaze then went back to where Erik had been and I was surprised to see that he was still there.  He stood with his arms folded, watching the fire as calmly as if it were in a hearth.  **

**                Monster! So this was your plan! That smell of oil was the scent of expectation! You had deceived me; you had deceived all.  What I had taken to be your final fall was only part of your scheme!  The sense of security and finality I had gained and held for these past few weeks had been exactly what you wanted me to feel!  Erik, you viper!  You were only laying in wait to strike!  You were only waiting this whole time for the chance to bite!  It was not over then!  It has never been over!**

**                A flaming body emerged at the edge of the pit of fire some twenty feet from Erik who watched it as it thrashed about like a thing possessed in attempt to extinguish the scorching fire from its oil-soaked clothes.  The devil did not move until the Vicomte had all but nearly rolled out the flames and lay gasping for breaths of air.     Even had I the will, I was completely helpless to move. I prayed Erik would be merciful. It was all I could do…but it was not enough.  Erik lifted the helpless Viscount once more and heaved the young man, like a child's doll, back into the hellish waters.**

**                The fire was not as strong as it had been beforehand as the oil in its limited life burned off into a hazy smoke that muted the light and wrought shadows where none should have existed.  But the death of the flames was of no help to the hapless victim as he sunk like a stone.  Both my eyes and the monster's stayed on the pale, submerged shape as it eventually broke free from its stillness and began to struggle with short spurts to the edge once again.  That brainless, foolhardy boy!  He must have been devoid of his mind to have not fled in the _other_ direction!  Was it his love for Christine Daaé that drove him forward still, or now his own personal vendetta against her captor?**

**                Whatever made up his will, it was fading with his strength. The flames on the water had died to small, blue patches of fire, but it was too late.  Chagny's body had ceased to move with life. Billowed up by the water, he floated, a dead man's face down float, toward Erik who waited with infinite patience until the body stopped at the edge where he stood.  Erik did him the kindness of turning him over with the edge of his shoe and then examined the drowned man's face.  I could not see what Erik saw from where I hid, but whatever he saw satisfied him and he stepped back into the dissipating smoke.  I did not move.  I did not dare to breathe. But I watched. I watched until he was gone, and though I could not be sure he was truly gone, I could not remain hidden any longer after the terror I had just witnessed.  If he was not yet dead, I knew Chagny's life depended upon my action!**

**                I was at his side in only a matter of seconds and pulled him onto the hard surface of the floor. All was dark in the cellar now that the fire had burnt itself into oblivion and its remnants of smoke blotted the eerie blue light that usually sifted from its unknown source. The Vicomte's skin was black and scorched with the fire, but that was not the cause of his immobility.  I could tell he had inhaled a great deal of water…**

**                So you would have left him here to die on his own, Erik?  Suffocate on his own because he hadn't the superhuman strength that would be required to escape from your deathtrap?  Do you think this will free you of responsibility for his death?  This does not free you of the title of his murderer!  I refuse to allow technicalities!  You have broken your word for the last time!**

**                But if I did not act quickly, the Vicomte de Chagny might never breathe again.  I knew how to revive someone who had inhaled water…After all, had not Erik saved my own life this very same way so many years ago in Mazanderan?**

**                As I worked to resuscitate the young man, I began to realize that it might be too late.  The asphyxiation from the water in his lungs combined with the suffocation of the smoke he had breathed had already done its work.  But just as I had recognized the uselessness of my efforts, he defied all odds and was suddenly wracked with breath.  He choked, coughing and shot up, leaning over, his hand pressed to his chest and gasped in quick gulps of air.**

**"Not too quickly," I said, pulling him back into a seated position.  "Take long slow breaths."**

**"Who…" he looked at me, choking for air and I thought he did not recognize me at first nor comprehend what had just happened to him.  Then I saw the understanding flash across his burned and drowned features and he jumped to his feet. "Where is he??"  But he was no sooner up before he staggered and fell to the ground. **

**                I pulled him up again.  "Not here.  Listen to me: we need to leave this place immediately."**

**"Not…without Christine…" His words were but rasps of choked sound as I held his stumbling form from falling once more.**

**"If we stay here any longer, we risk both our lives.  There is nothing you can do for her in this condition.  We are at his mercy, but, with any luck, he does not know you live.  But you may not live much longer if you do not receive immediate aid!  No, do not go toward the wall-Yes, lean on my arm…Now stop being a stubborn ass, boy, and come with me."**

**                I led him to the boat, which had been moored out of the water.  I was thankful for this for, had it been left on the lake, it would be nothing more than soaked timbers by now…He was too weak to resist my urging but his twisted lips murmured her name desperately and he slipped into delirium with gasps of "Sweet Christine…"**


	4. Chapter IV

**Chapter IV**

                I awoke to the heavy silence, and the first thing I saw was my own reflection staring back at me from across the room.  I knew it must be mine, for the eyes that looked so haunted and cloudy could not possibly belong to anyone else.  The pillow felt cool beneath my cheek, and the covers unnaturally heavy as I closed my eyes again with the silent yearning to return to dreamless sleep…

                Without any warning, memories flashed across my mind, jolting me completely awake with a small gasp.  In the moments that followed, I began to realize that I was no longer at Raoul's estate, rather in a room that used to be even more familiar.  The bed with silken sheets and the lavender comforter…The closet door, ajar, allowing me to see outlines of many dresses…Ones that used to be mine.  I remembered coming down here with the invitation.  Then…Erik was there, and we spoke…Everything after that was a blur.  Why was I still here?  What had happened?  What time was it…?

                With shaky movements, I eased out of the bed, not able to help a small growing fear.  Raoul's words continued to haunt me even now, and I couldn't help but wonder if Erik would let me leave once he saw I was awake.  How could I have fallen asleep?  I only distinctly remembered being tired after the long walk to the Opera.  In anxiety, I clasped my hands together and noticed at once that something was missing.  Slowly, I looked down at my fingers and saw at once that my engagement ring was not there.  Could it have slipped from my finger on the way down?  I had not noticed…And yet, the time Erik's ring had disappeared from my hand, I did not notice its absence at first either.  What if Raoul's ring had fallen into the water?  Or somewhere in the streets?  It would be hopeless to find it!  How could I explain such a loss to him?  What would he think when I returned from Erik's house without a ring or an explanation?  If he was not already angry, he would be furious! 

                Almost in desperation, I continued to twist my fingers, willing the ring to return or to wake up and discover this was a dream.  I should never have come here!  I could have found another way to send the invitation to Erik without breaking my promise or worrying Raoul so.  I dreaded facing him, especially after all of this.  I almost did not want to face Erik either…I have already deceived him in a form much worse.  Will none of us ever be happy?  Inside, I knew there was nothing I could do but go back to Raoul, and at least favor him with the truth.  I lost the ring…And somehow, as I thought this, it was not at all surprising.  Here the engagement did not exist, and if the cellars willed it, the ring would disappear…How frightening it was when put in such proportions!

                With these thoughts coursing through my mind, I moved towards the door, and now I remained just in front of it.  It was almost like the first time I opened the door to Erik's house.  I did not know what to expect, and I wanted to leave as soon as possible.  Cautiously, I rested my hand lightly against the doorknob before turning it open, and with the same hesitance, peered into the room beyond.

~~~~~~~~~******~~~~~~~~~******~~~~~~~~~

                He was not very far away from me, standing, facing the door almost as if he had expected me to emerge in that moment.  His eyes held the same watchful gaze they had before, and I carefully shut the door behind me, keeping my back firmly against it.  He was so infinitely still, but his eyes somehow managed to burn away my resolution to leave here and with it, all of my uneasiness.  We simply stared at each other, so much in the manner as before I had fallen asleep, and those moments of silence could have been years, only broken by his words:

"Good morning, Christine."

"Good morning…" The meaning of those words did not occur to me until after I said them, and even then I felt a bit dazed.  How could it be morning?  I had arrived even early in the afternoon!

"Morning?"

"Yes. You were exhausted, my dear…You drifted off as I was playing and slept through the night."  His voice was matter-of-fact, spoken with a slight, obvious tone that made me believe I should not be at all surprised.

                With both concern and shock, my eyes lifted to the clock above the mantle only to find that it had unfortunately stopped.  Trying to not appear alarmed, I quickly took the small chain watch from my pocket and looked down at it.  It had stopped as well…So it must be morning!  Poor Raoul!  What would he think?  I had been gone all night!  He must believe I never intended to return!  I had to tell him that I only fell asleep, that I did not intend to stay out all night to spite or anger him.  What he must be thinking!

"I have to go!" I said, with a sudden dismay as I started to move around where Erik stood.  "Raoul will be very worried about me…"

                He did not even seem to move and yet blocked my path. I froze, and my eyes wandered up to meet his, timorous and praying he did not intend to stop me…

"I have already taken the liberty of checking up on him, my dear," he said with a strange foreboding note of solemnity in his voice.

                I drew in my breath quickly, the comment striking me as something grim. Checked up on him? There couldn't be a chance that he had done anything…Was there?  "You…You have?"

                His eyes did not leave mine.  "Yes. While you were asleep…Last night, I went out to seek him. Oh! Please, my dear, do not look so anxious. After what you told me of his coercion to you yesterday, I was concerned for your…situation."

                I looked away, feeling my cheeks grow hot at the comment.  I did not fail to forget anything that happened…It was impossible!  Raoul's words haunted me even in that deep sleep.  "What happened…?"

                He spoke smoothly as if he was trying to lighten what he was about to say.  "I did not come across him myself, but by that time it was less than a simple task to discover that he did fully intended to carry out those threats when he spoke them."

                My heart felt as though it was stopping.  I could hardly raise my gaze, afraid to meet his eyes, but even more afraid of what I heard… "Erik, I—I don't understand…"

"I mean, Christine, that he has made good on the promises he vowed you yesterday…"

                Tears came into my eyes, slowly, with pained disbelief.  Even as I knew what his words must mean, it was not something I wanted to believe.  Raoul wouldn't…He would never…Not after everything! 

"How…?"

"He has publicly announced the cancellation of your engagement…It is known throughout the city and…This morning…It was printed in the press."

                I lifted my hand shakily, and pressed it against my face.  Then, as the tears began to trail down my cheeks, and my hand moved to cover my eyes.  The engagement was canceled.  Raoul's threat was not empty at all!  He had full intentions to carry out what he said, everything was true…It was true from the start…My heart felt so heavy in my chest, and yet I was too numb for the crying to reach my throat.

                Erik's voice changed when he spoke again.  It was lower, stiff, and trimmed with cold resentment.  "Yes, Christine, I did not even think he would do this…And sell his story to reporters, tarnishing his family's name?  No…He would never…But he did, and his reputation is still clean."

                I could say nothing, afraid my voice would betray me, but looked up at him, questioningly. 

                His eyes softened when they met mine, and this time he sounded nearly…upset.  "He invented an excuse for the annulment that left him guiltless."

                As much as I dreaded the answer, I softly whispered: "…What…?"

"He stated that he had recently discovered certain…minutiae about your past. Information that…that soiled your character as a lady of respected virtue."

                I took a step back, startled, and felt my other hand press against the opposite side of my face.  Raoul couldn't possibly believe that…Was it because of last night?  When I didn't…return…Or was it that he knew…And yet still…To save his reputation…  "What…what do you mean?" 

                Erik did not answer right away.  His eyes were piteous, and at that, I felt overwhelmed…If Erik had such difficulty telling me, then it must be nothing less than abominable. "If…I recall the words the columnist used…" There was true disdain in his voice; he spoke the name almost as if it were a blasphemy: " 'Msr. le Vicomte de Chagny is shocked and appalled to learn that the woman to whom he had been engaged is…" He paused for a moment, with difficulty, and the words were clipped, edged with his own fury, " 'Is nothing more than _a common Opera harlot_.' " 

                I recoiled, painfully, my breath drawing in a gasp.  No…It wasn't possible!  Raoul would never say such things…But as I looked into Erik's sympathetic gaze, I felt, with deep anguish, that what he told me was the truth.  I left Raoul last night, and did not return.  The reporters printed his story quickly…The story that must be all over Paris by now.  I couldn't ever return to the Opera, or face anyone again…Especially Raoul.  Yet it was not as though I could blame Raoul for presuming what he did!  I never came back…But even when I had only fallen asleep, he believed I never even intended to return.  But even so, how could he do such a thing?  He loved me…And I truly believed him when he had said he did. 

                I heard my sobs from far away, distant and yet even more heart wrenching.  I spoke in-between them, words that nearly ran into each other.  "It's my fault!  I fell asleep…He trusted me to return and then I didn't…He wouldn't have done this if I had come back!"

                Erik spoke gently, with a soothing quality to his voice, and I could hear his pity for me in those words. "No, Christine…For him to attain such fast publicity, he must have acted the moment after you left…"

                My sobs barely quieted, and I bowed my head but kept my hands over my face.  Everything was crumbling beneath me, and once again I felt utterly lost. Erik's words made more sense to me then, but at the same moment the pain bore down on me with the force of a thousand knives.  Raoul…Dear, sweet Raoul.  The little boy I used to know, the one I thought I knew…In whom I trusted, confided, loved…What love kept him from such lies?  None at all.  That was what I learned. It was not because I stayed the night, but because I returned in the first place.  Erik could not be wrong.  Raoul must have acted that same night, perhaps even the hour I left with the letter…And now…He was spreading lies throughout Paris by press or rumor—destroying everything between us, the little things I had…But it was more…My entire life!  I could not bear…Could not dare to show my face again, to meet the eyes of hateful citizens and the relatives of my fiancé…Though I was no longer his fiancée…To meet Raoul's accusing gaze and know that everything he said was wrong.  I had nothing…I had no one. 

"I don't know what to do…"

                The empathy remained, but Erik's eyes met mine and held them with lingering gentleness. "Do, Christine? You will live."

                I tried to turn my eyes from his, embarrassed by how the tears made them so red…But I could not. I heard the tremor in my voice and struggled not to choke on my own words.  "Everything is…destroyed…I don't…I have nothing anymore.  Raoul…He was…He meant…So much…"

"Have you forgotten, Christine? I long ago promised never to leave you…"

                At first his words didn't quite make sense.  I breathed in slowly, thinking of what he said, confusion immediately taking place of my grief.  "You…You would want…?"

                He seemed to understand my confusion, and his words were pensive and so deliberately sincere… "If you stay here, with me, I will care for you, Christine…It hurts me far too much to see such tragedy disfigure your heart."

                I could hardly answer him.  Why would he wish for me to stay?  I had betrayed him…That anger in the deep hollows of his eyes I still remembered…Very well…And I even had left with the belief that he never wished to see me again.  After causing him so much hurt and pain, I did not deserve to stay with him…Then it must be because I had no one…He must realize that…He knows it as well as I do.  And out of pity he offers…But I was still taken by surprise, and unsure.  "…Are you certain, Erik?  You would want me to…to stay…?"

                I barely noticed as he moved slightly closer…Only heard the continuous gentleness in his voice. "Yes…I will always guard you as long as you need my protection…"

                I felt ready to sob from both gratitude and relief.  I believed his words; there was no flicker or hint of a question when it came to Erik… "Th—thank you…"

                He was looking down at me, and it was then that I realized he was closer than before, but he spoke again…So tenderly…Shaking his head at my words of thanks as if they were unnecessary.

"It is a blessing to care for you…I will never stop loving you, Christine, and will never cease to bestow to you all I can…"

                Again I felt tears in my eyes, feeling nothing less than shame at how I had taken his devotion for granted.  Erik would never betray me or dishonor me…There was no doubt in his protection, no mistrust or suspicion.  His love was never-ending…What I had believed Raoul's would be…Believed before his betrayal was revealed and I discovered just how mistaken I had been. Erik was still here for me as he always would be.  And truly, I was not alone…I never would have to be again. 

"Thank you, Erik."


	5. Chapter V

**Chapter V******

"I have something for you."

                The words took me off guard and seemed to spin my overwhelming collection of thoughts out into space…Though they still hung there, mocking and painful.

                He lifted his hand, and between his fingers, was a gold ring.  The ring I lost on the roof, and the same ring I had returned to him just before I had left with Raoul.  The image had plagued my mind in the worst moments…When Raoul first gave me his engagement ring, the beautiful rubied stones would disappear and leave a plain, golden band.  How strange it was to see it now…

"It's yours…Would you like it?"

                I hesitated, feeling my heart give an odd thump.  My gaze remained on the ring, and yet it could not eliminate my uncertainty.  

"...Yes..."

                It seemed he could sense the hesitation in my voice, and he asked again, politely, offering me the chance to be certain.  

"Do you want it?"

                Slowly I raised my eyes, meeting his but this time felt my own words become steady.  

"I do."

                I watched him take my hand and slip the ring onto my finger and felt that slight, uncontrollable shiver at the coldness of his hands.  The ring was on my wedding finger, and I had and unsure feeling of what that meant…Simply that everything was the way it had been before?  Or was this different?  It seemed so…And he kept my hand afterwards, staring down at the ring in the same manner I was.  The gold surface glinted in the soft light and reminded me of Raoul…The way his eyes had glinted with anger as he watched me run down the steps of his estate.

                Again, the tears filled my eyes, and without meaning to, I released a small sob…Once more, I was crying, the tears streaking down my cheeks, not yielding to my efforts of holding them inside.  My thoughts felt blurry, and my throat tightened and began to ache…Yet Erik still held my hand…I was literally breaking.  And I could feel that he knew it. Somehow I managed to choke words, piercing through the soft cries. 

"I—I'm sorry…" 

                My eyes were downcast, so it was not until I felt his hand touch my cheek that I realized he had moved it.  His other hand still had not released mine, but somehow this contact, and the one single sound he spoke, broke my concentrated sadness once more.

"Hush."

                As his fingers trailed the curve of my face, I exhaled in one long sigh, shaky, but free of the sobs that before made it tremble. I had not forgotten his touch…But now the bare brush of his hand left me breathless and with the need to resist the urge to move closer against it.  My eyes did not leave his, and with surprise, I realized my own hand was reacting…Touching the side of his mask, very gently.  It felt smooth against my hand, and what I was sure could be my reflection in its dark, lacquered surface was only interrupted by the carved features.  I drew my breath again, slowly, and his eyes behind the shaped openings did not shift from mine as he released my hand and covered the one against his mask.  Hardly a second lingered before he folded his over mine, lowering it so I wasn't touching his mask anymore…I did not know whether to feel apologetic or embarrassed…But as his hand on my cheek moved to the back of my neck, brushing my shoulders and my hair…All doubts were forgotten. 

_                Spiraling up… _

                My breath caught in my throat, realizing now how near he was, and I leaned back against his touch, not sure myself if I meant to pull away or move even closer…But I did not move further, distantly feeling him release my other hand, only to mercilessly touch his fingers to my lips.  Almost as a reflex, I felt myself reaching to his shoulders and lightly resting on the fabric of his coat.  Lightly…And my eyes closed.  

                A bare echo…His voice… 

"…Hush…" 

                I felt him graze my closed eyelids…But there was a pause as I felt his hand withdraw.  My own sighs shook even more in the silence as I kept my eyes closed…And I heard him breathing too…Softly…In unison.  Then his lips closed over mine. 

                Everything in that moment was lost, and my shock was far off, barely disturbing the feeling as he moved one arm around me and I felt myself being drawn closer. 

_                With the stars..._

                There was one last hesitation, then it too was torn and beaten in this mass of feelings, and I pulled close as well, seeing myself return this kiss like I was in a dream.  Now I could feel him there against me, and my own arms around his neck…I was moving as close as possible.  Then all thoughts faded, until I was left with nothing, only the feeling of being pulled into an embrace, his arms holding me tightly…

                And the sound of a shrill, grating alarm suddenly ripping silence and echoing throughout my mind.

~~~~~~~~~******~~~~~~~~~******~~~~~~~~~

**                _The mask covered my face again, and I was on the far side of the room before Christine had even the chance to open her eyes.  The glow of the lights blurred before me and spun in unimaginable shapes…I had done it.  Unguarded…It was not only taken, but given!  And now…Had I accomplished my goal?…But why did my heart beat so?  What had become of the cool, careful calculation?  The flawless manipulation…That so delicately deliberated operation… _****__**

**_                And there she was!  Her eyes, locked on mine from across the room.  How had she come to be all the way over there?  That look of hesitant confusion in her gaze…Yet so unknowingly trusting…I had done it!  And she did not understand!  My breath blew back at my skin against the wall of the mask in front of my lips…She had been a perfect subject!  So susceptible…What was I doing!?  Christine, I have set the ball in motion and it is falling fast!  It cannot be stopped now!  What was I doing!_****__**

**_                My own voice shook and my hands felt the wooden surface of my mask as if I was not sure that it was still there._****__**

**_"Christine…Forgive me…"_****__**

**_                She said nothing.  She did not move.  Have I done it? The kiss of death!  I have inhaled her life and now possess her soul…And those vacant eyes that stare at me…Nothing more than an automaton…But no! She was moving! Shaking her head…And speaking!  Answering me with her own celestial voice!  Soft and filled with feeling…_****__**

**_"There is nothing…to forgive…"_****__**

**_                Nothing!  But she did not know just how much there was to forgive!_****__**

**_"I would not…I would never…"_****__**

**_                But I had! And I would…I did not even know what my own words meant…It was gone…My entire foundation…The solid ground gave way like the burning sands of the desert…Burned as my mind was burning!_****__**

**_                She gasped on her own breath…Was it possible she was as overcome as I?  Her words were so extremely soft…_****__**

**_"Erik, it's…It's…"  _****__**

**_                Unable to finish, she shook her head in a gesture of dismissal.  She was not upset.  She was purely inundated._****__**

**_                Then I could no longer look at her and found myself turning to the wall, putting a hand against it for support.  I needed the support of the wall!  And that beguiled me…Only she was capable of this!_****__**

**_"No…It's…I don't know what came over me…"_****__**

**_                And, truly, I did not.  Though not in the sense that she comprehended.  Turned away as I was, I did not even notice she had slowly moved to me until her trembling hands took my arm and her soft voice spoke with more assurance._****__**

**_"Erik, listen to me…You did not do anything wrong…"_****__**

**_                Oh Christine! But I have! I have, and you shall never know!  I have done what I brought you here to do and the rest of the world is mine to play with.  But look at your little hand on my arm…And the little ring on your finger that means you are mine…And the little stars hiding behind your eyes…_****__**

**_                The words fell from within me, knocking against one another in my throat and escaping through the fibers of the dark barrier between us._****__**

**_"Christine…My…Darling…My angel…My…Love…The alarm!"_****__**

**_                The recollection was so sudden that my exclamation startled the both of us.  The bell had rung!  It was why we had parted!_****__**

**_"There is someone on the lake."_****__**

**_                My soaring thoughts plummeted back into my mind and I knew what had to be done.  Swiftly moving past her, I went to the door._****__**

**_"Stay here."_****__**

**_                The surprise had not left her face and she took a step forward after me, then stopped, staying where she stood._****__**

**_"Alright…"_****__**

**_                There was something in that word that made me turn around and look at her for one moment more before I bowed my head and disappeared from the room._**


	6. Chapter VI

Chapter VI

**Chapter VI**

**_For the second time this day, the sudden change when emerging into the atmosphere of the cellar had a profound affect on my senses.Yes, it was the second time that day…But what had I told Christine?That it was already morning…That the boy I had killed had made haste and run about Paris spreading malicious lies to save himself and destroy her world…That I was now her only refuge in life, her only answer.She had believed it all and all were lies.It was not yet eleven o'clock, less than eight hours since she had first arrived and so daintily left that embossed envelope on my dust-covered piano and I had closed the doors to her…forever.And as far as Paris was concerned, the young Vicomte and his fiancée were still enjoying a flawless engagement…A pity he had to go and die…_**

**_But the change in temperature was enough to slow the beating of my heart…And the strident stench of smoke and burnt oil was enough to clear the clouds from my mind…And the loud screaming was just about enough to drive me insane…_**

**_Someone was yelling in my cellar!Crying out my very name in a tone filled with wrath and anxiety._**

**_I recognized the voice, distorted as it was by its volume, before I recognized the figure swathed in the shadows of the lingering smoke not twenty feet from my very door. _**

**_This was not a visitor I could say I was pleased to see.Though whom else could I have expected?My old friend, the Daroga, has always found a way of interfering in my affairs…But this was one ploy he was too late to stop._**

**_He passed directly before me, taking no note of my presence and continued to call out into the dark, demanding my audience.I had had enough of shouting meddlers for one day and no more tricks up my sleeve.This meeting, I concluded, would have to be ended simply and efficiently.If he was here now, then he must know what had transpired earlier, and I highly doubted he had come to congratulate me._**

**_"Erik!"_**

**_Then what was his purpose here?Did he think he would actually accomplish anything?He was practically fuming as he turned at the edge of the lake and began to make his way back up near the wall._**

**_"I know you are here."_**

**_So you are a psychic now? The echoes of his voice were only serving to increase the pounding in my head and I was becoming more than annoyed._**

**_"Did you think I wouldn't notice—"_**

**_My voice, filled with weary annoyance, broke through his, cutting short his words."Don't you fear for your life, old man?"_**

**_He paused, stopping where he stood.He did not look for me…He had learned by now that when I did not wish to be seen, there was no use in trying._**

**_"I don't know.Should I?"_**

**_I could sense the vagueness in my own reply as I leaned back against the wall, still trying to catch my breath."Yes...You probably should..."_**

**_He looked confused as if he had not expected me to answer that way."What's wrong with you?"_**

**_My answer was a stern "Nothing."The tone such a contrast to what he had heard a second ago that even I realized what I had betrayed of my state.But already I could tell that I was frustrating him beyond endurance.He was in no mood to play games._**

**_"I just suppose it takes a lot out of you to set the lake on fire," he snapped rhetorically._**

**_I did not answer for a moment, considering what he said.He had seen then…or at least enough to draw conclusions.He did not seem to care about letting me know that fact.My answering words had returned to the casual indifferent tone that just coincidentally seemed to irritate him. _**

**_"No, it was quite simple, actually."_**

**_"As was killing the Vicomte," he snapped.An overconfident edge came to his features, and I realized he was looking directly at me.I know for a fact that he could not see me, yet somehow he understood exactly where I was.He amended his statement with the words that caught me more off guard than any: "Or attempting to, rather."_**

**_Unexpected!_**

**_I clenched my fists, forcing myself to remain where I was.He moved back as if he expected me to appear, but only my voice met him, stipulating with all of its severity."He is alive?"_**

**_It was as if I could hear his very thoughts…'Yes, Erik. I know.Your scheme was not as perfect as you thought it was.In fact, it failed.You should know that.You cannot control everyone's destinies as easily as you would wish.'How dare you!How dare you think so!You must realize that these words you have spoken in the heat of aggravation have put the Vicomte de Chagny in more danger than he has ever been.In my hands or any other.But what was said was said, was it not?You realize this.Is that why you remain so cool?_**

**_"Yes.He is not in a good state, but he is alive."_**

**_"Where?"The question was an order for a response.I demanded again, before he could answer, "Where is he?"_**

**_"Why should I tell you that?"he cried out in brazenness, cracking his collected demeanor."Do you plan to send him flowers?I know what you would do if I told you.I am not a fool."_**

**_Clenching my teeth in silence, I used all of my will to control myself as my hands itched in anger for vengeance.When I did speak, it was with complete control. _**

**_"No matter.I know where he is."_**

**_"You didn't even know he was alive," he retorted quickly, knowing not to be taken in by my mental manipulation._**

**_"He could not have lived on his own.You helped him."_**

**_I had triggered the right wire, and he exploded."Of _course_ I helped him! Do you think I would just let him die!?"_**

**_I yelled back, my fury matching his, echoing from all corners of the cellar."You are a fool to meddle in my affairs!"_**

**_Faster than he could perceive and I could grasp, I was upon him, my hands at his throat._**

**_"I should kill you for that!"_**

**_Staring down at him, it was like a mirror.I could see myself reflected in the expression on his face…My own glowing eyes burned with rage that was unnatural even for me.I released him with disgust, withdrawing as quickly as I had set upon him.For once I did not second guess the level of cold hatred in my voice as I spoke from where I stood."And know that if you try to do so again, I will.It is not an empty threat this time, Daroga. I _will_ kill you."_**

**_I could see that he knew as well as I did that that this was a promise I meant to keep.But he merely stared at me without fear…Only a simple and piteous sadness."Why did you do it, Erik?"_**

**_His words and his looks made me sick with repulsion and loathing. _**

**_"I owed him the favor."_**

**_"He and Miss Daaé were engaged, were they not?You had let them go!I had believed you cared for her best interest that once…and now you turn and kill her fiancé!"_**

**_"It was a brief period of misunderstanding."_**

**_It is useless, my one-time friend-turned enemy.Give up now._**

**_"Is she with you, Erik?"_**

**_"That is none of your business."_**

**_"Does she know what happened to Raoul?"_**

**_I could only laugh at the absurdity of the question.Why even ask?Attempting to make example of my deception, are you? _**

**_"Answer me," he ordered, firmly._**

**_"She is not concerned with him."_**

**_"Not for her own fiancé?She loves him dearly, Erik.You know that as well as I."_**

**_I did not feel like responding to that and turned, walking to the edge of the lake. Distinctly, I surveyed the damage left by the fire, focusing minutely on the fine details of the destruction.The black soot left rims around the water's edge and I noticed the very level of the lake had lowered some few centimeters here.Interesting…I did not think those flames that extinguished in less than ten minutes had produced enough heat to cause such evaporation.There must have been some other explanation for the phenomenon.As I was absently pondering the possibilities, The Nuisance approached, remaining a few steps behind me and truncated my musings._**

**_"I do not know what you are doing, but I cannot imagine it is anything better then what you have done before.I know she is with you."_**

**_I turned and looked back at him.She is with me…Christine.With me now and with me forever.I could feel it again…Conquer my entire being…Had those moments been such a short time ago?We had held each other in an embrace of trust and security…After waiting for so long…Suffering so much longing…_**

**_He noticed the change in me after having mentioned her and leapt at the opportunity to gain ground on this checkered battlefield."And looking at you now it's obvious something has happened."_**

**_My eyes leveled with his."Nothing has happened.She wants to stay with me."_**

**_He studied me for a moment, silently, and I let him.Then began, as if in concession, "I will go…when Christine Daaé tells me these things herself."_**

**_I laughed, but it sounded forced even to my own ears.My words were sharp."No, you will go right now.And you will never come back down here."_**

**_"No, let me see for myself that Christine is not being kept here against her will!Then I will never bother you about her again.I won't even let Raoul charge back down here.Although I think you might put an end to him yourself, and I really wish you wouldn't."_**

**_I laughed again, but this time the sound came freely and I had no need to force it."Oh yes, he certainly will not be charging back down here again."_**

**_He stopped suddenly, as if he thought he had caught onto something."If she wants to stay, then why would you kill Raoul?"_**

**_Do you honestly think I would allow advance on your part, pitiful fool?My answer is more casual than before."Why kill him? Why not? I gave him fair warning."_**

**_He contemplated a moment, as if he were playing a game of chess and must need to strategically choose his next move.It was his poor sportsmanship that his decided words were so ill-chosen._**

**_"You're afraid..."_**

**_Wrong move, Daroga. You lose.My eyes immediately narrowed and I hissed with threat, "Get out."_**

**_"This is wrong," he insisted._**

**_"Before I do something worse to you than I did to the Vicomte," I continued, unphased._**

**_"Do not do this, Erik."_**

**_"Go now.And if you ever come back down here, it will be your last hour alive."_**

**_He cried out in exasperation, discrediting his efforts to reason with me."Damn you!If you love her, why deceive her so?"_**

**_I began to advance on him and he knew well my intent.It was a tremendous effort to restrain myself from quenching him of his life at that very moment.I spoke through gritted teeth as I drew closer to him.One last warning before you force me to call checkmate."You do not know what you are saying, old man.Get out before I find I cannot dismiss your words."_**

**_He forfeited.Wise choice.His eye leveled with mine, and spoke flatly: "As you wish."_**

**_Waiting for no response from me, he turned and went back toward the boat.I did not take my eye from him until he had finished crossing and begun his way up the ascent, disappearing from my intense line of sight.Only once I was positive that he was gone did I turn, in fuming anger to return to my house._**

**_ _**

~~~~~~~~~******~~~~~~~~~******~~~~~~~~~

**_ _**

**_So dark was my anger that I saw nothing as I stalked into the room.I resisted the powerful urge to take up a large object and hurl it against the opposite wall._**

**_I barely heard her trembling voice when she spoke._**

**_"…Is everything alright?"_**

**_At Christine's terribly soft question, I whirled around, glaring, and saw her standing the same place I had last seen her.For a moment I did not even realize why she was there.My actions and anger startled her and she shrunk back at my stare, her eyes widening in both sudden fear and surprise._**

**_Then it registered in my mind.Instantly shocked, I realized the fear in her, and my demeanor immediately softened.I exhaled slowly, desperately attempting to gather my thoughts.She stepped back, moving toward her room as I took slow breaths, trying to best compose myself.I only watched as she left, but once she had closed and latched the bedroom door behind her, I followed._**

**_Christine…Forgive me…I would never…But this time I did know what had come over me.I put my hand against the hard surface of the door, but only dropped my head, feeling the hot anger and shame at having frightened her so carelessly._**

**_My fingers curled into a fist, and I beat it against my side, turning away from the door and flung myself into a chair._**

**_I was furious with myself!How could I have let that boy live?Would it have taken so much effort to have assured myself that he was dead and incapable of revival?But how could I have known…But that was no excuse!I had been careless!I had been cocky!Take no chances!It would not happen again.The situation was not irreparable…In fact, quite easily remedied.The next time I killed the Vicomte de Chagny, I would make most certain he was dead.It did not matter how.There were infinite ways of going about the matter.Some more amusing and effective than others…_**

**_Leaning over, I dropped my head into my hands.Was it curse or fate that the man who had informed me of my mistake be forever my undoing?It did not matter.His words would affect my conscience no more and his deeds were powerless against me.There was nothing he could do…Nor any person._**

**_But what could a collective of people do?Did not that insolent prick threaten to return with an army of men to rescue the poor frightened maiden?I had defeated man's armies before; it would not be so difficult.But how would I explain the situation to Christine?It might not be so simple to blind her to the adversity…Now she believed what I had told her._**

**_She must continue to believe my words._**

**_ _**

**_ _**

**_ _**

**_ _**

**_ _**

**_ _**


	7. Chapter VII

**Chapter VII**

**                I raced from that accursed cellar as if the Devil himself were at my heels…And for all I knew, he very much was!  His words echoed through my mind as I fled up the countless dark stairs that seemed to push my desperate weight up into the world above.  As long as I had known him, I had never before felt the absolute need to flee from Erik.  I had seen him before in the blackest of tempers, but those moods, fueled by the blind heat of anger were nothing compared to the absolute clarity of hate I had just seen in his gleaming eyes.  **

**                Would Erik kill me?  At that moment, I was assured that if he saw me in his subterranean labyrinth again, he most certainly would attempt to do so…Why he had not killed me at that moment, I did not fully understand.  He was gone.  Whatever good might have remained in him, whatever true love he had held for Christine before, it was gone.  I could now see that over the past weeks what had once been heartfelt had deformed into a play of possession…A play he would win at _all_ costs and one that I could not prevent alone.  But he knew that…Even as what he had become, he knew that.  And still…Still I held within me that what was lost could be regained.  Not Erik…No.  Even if he was not beyond all reach, he certainly was beyond mine.  Such an effort would be useless.   But Christine Daaé deserved her livelihood.  Reason was out of the question!  That path had taken me too far.  But would he really kill me?  This man who I had known as a friend?  I could no longer be sure.  I could no longer take the chance.**

**                Would Erik kill Raoul?  Yes.  That answer was a much less complicated deduction.  And it was with that thought in mind that I fled on Hermes' Wings back to where I had left the poor, misfortunate Viscount.  **

**                As I had left Erik at the lake, I exhibited no outward anxiety but now that I had emerged into the vast above ground chambers of the Opera, my highest priority was to get Raoul de Chagny _out_ of this building and _away_ to someplace where Erik could not find him and would not be able to threaten the boy's life.**

**                The last time I had run this twisted course, half supporting, half dragging the wretched wounded Vicomte with me to safety, I could take him no further once we had reached the main level of the Opera.  His faculties were leaving him quickly, being sapped by the fading rush of adrenaline that had provided the only means by which we had even made it that far.  I knew the Opera housed a resident physician whose official capacity regularly encompassed the ballet's twisted ankles and stagehands' smashed fingers.  I highly doubted he had ever treated a victim for second-degree burns combined with lungs damaged from nearly drowning.  **

**                The doctor, well past his middle-aged years, had nearly fallen out of his chair with shock when I dragged the half-conscious young man into the room lined with shelves of medical equipment that I guessed were more for show than actual use.  Thankfully, this was a professional who took his job seriously and immediately recovered from his surprise, administering immediate aid to Raoul's quickly blistering skin.  Where the boy had previously been soaked through with water, he was now radiating a repulsive heat as the doctor put me to work, marking the utmost importance of Raoul's need for fluids.  **

**                Raoul slipped into a completely unconscious, immobile state as he was treated.  For this, I was thankful…The last thing he needed to be doing right now was attempting to hinder the doctor's progress with wild-sounding protestations or the insane desire to go after his afflicter.  **

**                The time flew by, unmarked, and I could not tell how long it was before the Viscount lay on a raised bed, his face and hands swathed in bandages, sleeping peacefully through the pain-relieving drugs that had been administered to him.  During this whole time, the doctor, who so far had been the only other witness to the day's horrifying events, spoke no words to me more than medical orders, but then, as we both watched the boy sleep, exhausted beyond our years by this terror, he ventured to ask the questions I had been dreading.**

**"How did he come to receive such injuries?"  The general curiosity of the question was not quite masked by the clinical professionalism of his tone.**

**                I did not look into his spectacle-clad eyes as I wondered how to answer that.  In the madness between Hell and this middle ground, I had not yet thought of what story I would give to the inevitable inquiries.  To tell the truth?  But would that aid our efforts?  Or only unearth a grave that had been dug too long ago?  An answer to one question would lead to others…Others that could not be answered…Not yet, anyhow.  Perhaps, soon, this whole darkness would be brought into the light.  But for now…For now, I needed to choose my paths carefully.**

**"Kerosene."  I answered, simply, lifting my watch to see that he had almost become impatient with my delayed response.  **

**                He quirked a bushy grey eyebrow curiously, glancing over at Raoul's form and I was encouraged to continue.**

**"He was down in the third cellar belowground where the sets and flats are kept."**

**                The doctor nodded in understanding, knowing the place I meant, waiting for me to continue.**

**"I…saw him there, carrying a lantern in the dark and called out to him, not certain who he was or of his business poking about in the cellar.  Evidently…My call startled him, for as he turned to answer, he missed a step, falling between the rafters above the stone stairwell and crashed back into the leg of a high system of shelves, knocking over the barrel of kerosene…It soaked him as it caught the flame from his lantern and ignited his figure.  I rushed to his aid as quickly as possible…But it was some time before we could effectively press out the fire and I could manage to bring him here."**

**                Where such a fantastic story had come from in my imagination, I was too grateful to wonder.  The doctor believed it and that was satisfactory enough.  He nodded, turning to the paper where he had been making notes of his diagnosis.  **

**"That would explain the markings of grime in his skin…Yet it is amazing how clean the burns are…As if he fell only into some scalding oil."**

**                I looked away, not wishing to betray anything that might cause suspicion in him and was thankful when he continued to speak.**

**"He may stay here for the day as it would not be wise to move him now, but when the Opera is closed for the night, he will need to be taken home and cared for by a trained nurse.  His skin as well as his body must be kept completely hydrated for he has lost much moisture.  And, of course, his family will need to be notified."**

**                His family?  Would it not be better if you said 'What is left of them'?  See, Erik, what you have done?  First taken this young man's brother who I know was as a father is to him…And now his bride-to-be?  No.  This is not the end.  When this is finished, Erik, _you_ will be the one paying for all you have taken so freely!**

**                I showed nothing of my inward thoughts to this kindly, aging physician and nodded in agreement to his instructions.  Together, we had turned our eyes to Raoul watching his chest rise and fall with slow steadiness as he slept, and a question that had been burning at the back of my mind suddenly found its way to my lips.**

**"His face, Doctor…There will be scars?"**

**"Yes," he nodded slowly.  "The scarring will be quite certain.  But…If treated properly…And possibly through the right procedures…The marks will eventually fade and not be quite so noticeable…But I am afraid he will never be the same."**

**"No," I agreed, softly, "I do not think any of us will ever be the same…"**

**~~~~~~~~~******~~~~~~~~~******~~~~~~~~~******

**                As I made my way now back to that scene with all possible haste, I thought desperately for a way to explain the urgent situation to all who might be concerned.  When I had left earlier to return to the bowels of the underground cavern, I had given the doctor some plausible excuse for my temporary leave, but he would inevitably be suspicious at the state of my return.  It had taken me some time to recover from the taxing excursion, but once I had built up my resolve to dive into the encounter, I had returned to the cellars with every intent and purpose to finish what the Vicomte had started.  I do not know why I had ever thought I would be successful where he had failed…**

**                He lay in the bed where I had left him, moaning in that delirious sedative-induced slumber.  The doctor was nowhere to be seen!  For this I was immensely grateful.  Luck was on our side this time and I abandoned my concern for explanation and bolted the door behind me.   **

**                Wasting no time, I stood over him at his bedside and proceeded to attempt to shake him alert from his sleep making careful assurance not to harm his injuries.  My efforts were only half successful as he stirred but did not emerge from his delirium, staying in a half-conscious, confused state.  I began to panic.  There was no way I could take this man to safety if he did not have enough of his senses about him to assist me in assisting him!  Quickly, my eyes scanned the area, searching for something, anything that would help wake him.  **

**                My gaze fell on the pan of cold water that the doctor had used for soaking the compresses he had applied to Raoul's wounds.  It was worth the attempt!  Clutching the wide, shallow pan in both hands, I lifted it and turned it over, spilling the icy contents over his body.**

**                Immediately, he thrashed into a seated position, gasping for air between bandages as his wrapped hands clenched the sides of the bed in shock.  I saw the disorientation evaporate from his eyes with the jolt as he coughed out his words, leaning forward to regain his breath.**

**"What…What!  What is it!  Good God!"  He lifted a hand to wipe the frigid water from his face and seemed confused to only come in contact with the soft, wet bandages.  **

**                I had no time for explanations and moved to help him rise from where he lay.  "We must get you out of here!"**

**"…What?"  He did not understand and resisted my attempts with weak, pained gestures.  By Faith, what had I done!  In my fast-fueled argument with Erik, I had revealed that Raoul still lived and now not only was the Vicomte no longer safe, whatever measure he took, but Erik would henceforth be on his guard against whatever plan of defense I could possibly concoct!  In order to reach _any_ measure of security, this boy would have to cooperate!**

**"He is coming!  We must get you to safety."**

**"Who?  What are you talking about?"  **

**                Did he not comprehend?!**

**"I am talking about _Him!_"**

**"Erik?"**

**"Yes."**

**                Finally, what I was trying to convey struck some understanding with him as his eyes widened even further in enraged alarm.  "He is coming? _Now?_"**

**"I don't know.  But we must get you someplace where he cannot find you to kill you!"**

**"Why is he coming?  My God!  Christine! He _must_ have her!"**

**"Yes, she is with him.  He says she is with him willingly, but I do not believe him."**

**                He straightened where he sat, gripping my shoulders with a fevered strength that I would not have expected from him in his condition.  "What did he tell you?!"**

**"He said he would kill you."**

**                His hands slid from my person as he seemed to be rendered shocked by my blunt statement.  What else could he have expected?  He had trouble finding his next words:**

**"What…What about Christine?"**

**"He says she wants to stay with him."**

**"I don't believe that!"  Suddenly he was animated again and I began to fear that if he kept experiencing such bursts of energy, he would have none to complete our escape.**

**                I tried to calm him as I spoke.  "Neither do I…Though I still do not think he would force her to stay…"**

**"We have to get to her somehow…Why does he do this?  Why does he continue to take her from me?"**

**"Because he thinks he is in love with her."**

**"Thinks?"  I could sense the confusion written across his features even though they were masked from my eyes.  Yes.  Thinks.  Though I did not except this young man to understand the level of madness to which Erik had been driven to believe that mindless controlling obsession could ever be considered Love.**

**"And he thinks he can make her love him."**

**                This last statement made more sense to him as he sighed in despair and pain as I helped him stand from the bed and held him aloft until he gained balanced footing.  I moved toward the door to unfasten the bolt.**

**"But we must get you someplace safe."**

**"Not without Christine!" He insisted from where he stood, regaining his breath as he leaned against the back of the doctor's chair.  "We have to get to her…He frightens her so much…Don't you remember?"**

**                I opened the door, spinning about to face him and snapped with all severity I could muster in this reckless state.  "There is _nothing_ we can do right now!…I do not think he would harm her, but he _will_ kill you!"**

**"Then when can we actually _do_ something?"  He seemed to be regaining his strength as I moved back to aid him.**

**"Not now.  Now come on!"**

**                His reluctance to go was present in every step we took as I rushed him with all sensible haste from the building into the cold air of the night.  He shivered from the chill of the water as his wet garments met the wind in the street and I hailed a passing carriage.**

**"We cannot take you to your home, he would find you there," I explained as I watched the shape of the Opera House recede from the closed windows of the coach.**

**"Where are we going?"  He asked, impatiently.**

**"I cannot take you to my home, either, he would look there."**

**"You've thought this out well…" he answered with bitter resentment.**

**                I turned to look at him and felt a wave of pity for the sad, disheveled young man who sat before me with every hope of regain in his eyes and the bent stiffness of pain in his entire being.  **

**"For now, I will take you to a public hospital.  He will not dare do anything there."**

**                He sighed, turning to look away.  I was glad he seemed to understand the logic of my instructions and was relieved to know that he was going to be compliant at least for now.  I did not think he would agree to my next question but I ventured to ask anyway.  Best to take all achievable precautions.  **

**"But have you any house, preferably in another country…Where he would not be able to find you?"**

**                He turned back, his stubborn jaw set beneath the thin layers of loosening gauze.   **

**"I will _not_ leave the country!  I don't even want to leave the Opera!"  His fingers tore agitatedly at the bandages, pulling them away from his lips and I could make out the dark marks of his injuries in the dim light of the coach.  "_Christine_ is down there with him!  He is seducing my fiancée!  Do you understand at all how that makes me feel!?  And what sort of position that puts _her_ in!"**

**                Yes…I understand all too well…Erik, I hope you too understand the full consequences of what you are doing!  You cannot destroy this man without destroying her as well!  Do you think, as I watch the passionate tears of helplessness fall from this boy's eyes that I will stand by and let this happen?  No.  As I once swore to protect you, I have also sworn to protect the world _from_ you!  Do you understand, Erik?  In the end, monster, you will answer to God, but for now, you will answer to _me_!**

**                The Vicomte continued to moan as he began to slip back into that state of delirious pain and I ordered the driver to reroute the carriage to the hospital across town.   My piteous attempts to comfort him were of no use.  Once inside the walls of safety, I turned him over to the care of the doctors who followed similar procedures as the one at the Opera had administered.  He was ordered to confined bed rest much to his distaste, but at that point he was too weak to argue.  **

**                As he slipped again into unconsciousness, his fading moans of self-accusation tore at unwilling ears.  **

**"Oh, Christine…I'm so sorry…Why…Why did I say those things to you?…Why…"**

**                I was beginning to feel the weight of the day press my frame also.  It was well into the small hours of the morning as I sank wearily into a chair near the despairing Vicomte's bedside.  As tired as I was, my mind could not rest.  My thoughts were numbered in the thousands as I tried to concoct some sort of plan of action.  There was nothing I could do alone…No, but with aid…With the help of others…Perhaps many others, there was a chance.  But how?  Erik's hidden castle was secreted away in a place where not even I, who had once been inside, could find.  There were ways…If the whole wall were removed…But would that threaten the structure of the Opera's foundations?  And that lake…I know he had it rigged with an alarm.  After all, had not I almost been drowned by the siren's song that way myself?  But then there was the torture chamber…That fated night when I had experienced the tortures of that mirrored asylum firsthand, Christine had spoken to us through the wall…So the house was directly adjacent.  **

**                But which wall?  How to get in?**

**                Break down all six of them.  **

**                If I were able to bring enough men, we could simply overpower Erik…He was a man, after all, not the dark God he would prefer many to believe…And certainly not a ghost.  Yes, with enough strength of arms, he could be overpowered.  I was sure about it.  He was obviously lying to Christine if she thought she wanted to stay with him.  **

**                If he was never mad before, The Phantom of the Opera had now most certainly gone completely and undeniably insane.  ******


	8. Chapter VIII

**Chapter VIII**

            The silence was far too loud.  Yet even now I couldn't concentrate; my thoughts scattered like a dropped and forgotten string of pearls.  Oh, if only I could pull them together before they forever fell out of my reach!

                I didn't move from the door long after I had closed it.  Instead, I stood and rested my head against the hard wood, closing my eyes and drawing in precious breaths of air.  I could almost sense his presence through that door…So close, and yet I made no move to shorten that distance.  Even now, with Raoul's betrayal hanging over me like a black cloud of poison, I was powerless to be rid of the uncertainty. 

                Raoul!  Oh, Raoul, how could you?  Was it so easy?  As easy as you claimed it to be as I was stumbling down your steps?  Did you truly leave right after I did, only not to follow, but to forever destroy my name to save yours…Was it only in your short anger?  Do you regret it now?  I confess that it would no longer matter…I will never forget.  Your ring is gone now, lost in some dark corner of the cellars.  If only I could shroud you away so easily.  The little boy who rescued my scarf and then tossed it back into the raging, icy sea…Leaving me to drown!  I will not break for you, Raoul!  What good would tears do me now?  How can I even bother with tears?

                How the cursed tears came!  I felt them on my cheeks and quickly brushed my fingers across my face to be rid of them.  Erik wouldn't want to see that I was crying over Raoul.  With light steps, I moved away from the door, sinking down on the small dressing bench in front of the mirror.  This time, I kept my eyes off my reflection.  I had seen it that morning, and with all the shame and despair inside of me now, I could no longer bear it.  So instead I stared down at my hands, white and trembling, simply lying across the lap of my favorite dress.  The dress I wore as I wrote the happy, flowery wedding invitations, the dress I wore when Erik told me of the most heart wrenching news since my dear father passed away, as I sat here now shaking.  Alone. 

                I will never wear this dress again. 

                A slight glint in the mirror caught my eye, and I raised my gaze only enough to see what it was.  The small ring on my finger looked so lost on my hand…A simple band of gold, still untarnished…Secure.  It replaced Raoul's so easily!  I had asked for it.  He asked me, and I said yes, I wanted the ring.  I truly did want it…But now, I began to notice, not only did this ring again grace my hand, but my very wedding finger.  Did that mean…Could it mean…I did not know, nor did I wish to.  Perhaps I should have said no as he once more offered me that ring, but in that moment, how could I have possibly refused?  Replacing rings meant nothing.  It was, in fact, a relief…But what did it mean to Erik?  Had he claimed me as his wife?  The finger he chose was a pointed sign, and once he leaned over to kiss me…Had I agreed to a silent vow I knew not of?  I could be bound to him and not realize!  Though I returned to him…And possessed his ring…It could no longer be my decision.  This concept did not frighten me as before, but rather the contrary.  I felt relieved that something was finally out of my hands.  All of my decisions lately had proved to be poor judgment…I no longer even trusted myself.  Erik was now all I could depend on, the only one I could trust, as much and now even more than Raoul.  Why did I not see that in the very beginning?  Was I blinded by pure stubbornness?  Raoul's blow had struck me blind, wrenching me from my castle of dreams and down to the ground again…Flailing into the Earth until I was finally caught by the only one who could manage such a feat.  My Angel of Music. 

                The one question which remained in my head was how exactly Erik could do this for me.  I had left him that night with no intention of ever returning…Until he had asked that one last request.  I could not fool myself into thinking that I would have come back otherwise.  I was so eager and confused that night; Raoul's open arms seemed more than welcoming.  Now everything was drastically changed.  Never again could I run to Raoul for comfort.  I only had Erik.  And yet…

                And yet…It did not leave me alone; I did not dread remaining here as I had before.  Erik's dark rooms and lingering candlelight replaced Raoul's embrace.  My lips still trembled from the kiss.  If Erik were to close me in the gates once again, I strangely began to realize…I would be relieved.  I was safe here; Erik would keep me safe.  It was not a prison, but a shelter, hiding the fierce blows and insults that rained down from all of Paris…

                And yet…What was that look in his eyes as he had turned towards me just now?  A horrible glare—The very look that had always hid in my memory but returned at that moment.  I felt a spark of fear even at the remembrance…Why was he so angry?  Had Raoul come?  Did they trade arguments and shouts over that lake?

                No!  Raoul would not care about me anymore; why on Earth would he think to come here?  Did I even…No…I did not want him to.  Not anymore.  Perhaps it had been someone from the Opera…But what explained Erik's anger?  He didn't like anyone in his cellars; I understood that well enough, so that might be a valid explanation.  What did this unknown visitor want, then?  My side of the gossiping lies?  A pointless mockery?  Could Raoul have mentioned Erik in this tale—Though it may have been what some might have assumed!

                …Was it only an assumption?

                I had wanted him to kiss me.

**~~~~~~~~~******~~~~~~~~~******~~~~~~~~~**

                A soft knock on the door made me jump.  I only looked at it for a moment, silently, then placed my brush back on the vanity table and stood.  As I opened the door, I tried to hide my expression which must have been so obvious before.  I had kissed him back, and my cheeks still burned with awkward embarrassment!

                With some reluctance, I met Erik's gaze and found that he was looking down at me, his eyes behind the mask thankfully calmer.  I began to feel myself relax.

"Christine, my dearest, I did not mean to frighten you."  His voice was soft, gentle, exactly the way it had been before…Before…

                I nodded and took a small wavering breath.  "It's…Alright…"  I looked up at him again, biting my lip a bit, trying to cover any nervousness.  "Who was that on the lake, Erik?"

                He stepped back from me so that I could come out of the doorway.  I did, slowly, finding immediately that I could not take my gaze from that one simple movement…I finally looked down to the floor. 

"_That_ was our old friend, the Persian."

                The Persian…I knew hardly anything of him.  Only that he had accompanied Raoul that fateful night straight into the Chamber of Tortures…I remembered him well even though we did not speak.  I had only thought him to be a friend of Erik's, though I did not know why he had betrayed him then…Or if he harbored ill will. 

"Oh…Is everything all right?"

"Yes.  Or rather, it will be."

                I must have looked a bit bewildered at that, for he continued: 

"He simply brought me some bad news." 

                Bad news.  Those two words were enough to break away the very thin shield that hid my worry.  "What is it?"

                He brushed the question away with a wave of his hand.  "Nothing for you to worry about, sweet Christine, I shall soon set things right."

                It was amazing how those words could so easily put me at ease…I smiled faintly.  "Alright…It just…concerned me."

                Nevertheless, the fading of my anxiety simply brought more thoughts.  My cheeks were still flushed and pink, and my hands even continued to tremble slightly at the thought of him leaning down to kiss me again…

                My God!  I was going absolutely mad.

                He was still watching me, and his smooth, tranquil voice penetrated my shaky demeanor.

"Please forgive me, Christine."

                Dazed, I lifted my eyes to him, my voice as steady as a boat caught in a thunderstorm.  "For what?"

"I have frightened you…"  His eyes stayed on mine as I felt my heart in my throat.  "That is a crime I would never want to commit."

                I sighed softly, once again looking away, finding my voice fade to a near whisper. 

"It's alright, Erik…Truly…"

                And it was.  I had only felt a moment of fear; it had already been forgotten…I even understood in those moments I stayed beyond the door.  I almost felt ashamed now for feeling so to begin with.

                His words only intensified my slight guilt.

"You should know that you have no reason to fear me…"

                I could not meet eyes, my face hot for a different reason this time.

"I would never…harm you…"

                Now my voice was barely audible even to myself.  "I know…I was just…surprised…"

                There was only a faint pause, and then: "Christine, would you like to travel?" 

                I was taken aback by the sudden and rather abrupt question.  The very idea seemed odd, especially now.  "I…Travel?"

                Erik, however, remained rather calm.  "Yes…You…We…Together…Travel.  Somewhere far from all these bad memories."

                It sounded horribly tempting.  I did not want to stay here, knowing I could not show my face in the Opera, or even Paris, without encountering leering from all sides…Surrounding me…I did not want to stay in Raoul's cruel and backstabbing reach where I was at mercy to his humiliating stories and the hungry demands of the crowd. In Erik's house, I was safe…But not to be able to walk the streets at any time of the day…In fear…How long could I last that way?  How long could Erik?

"Yes…"

                I had not noticed that he had moved his hand until it took mine and I felt my breath catch.  His eyes stayed on my own, but he lifted my hand toward the lips of his mask…Then turned it so that my fingers barely twined through his…

                If only I could move…

"We could go anywhere you'd wish…" he said, quietly, and I marveled at the continuous and uninterrupted beauty of his voice…

"I would…like that, Erik."  My voice, however, held none of those qualities, nearly coming out as breathlessness.  Any of this would seem so unnerving before I had arrived yesterday, but now…

"Would you like to leave tomorrow?"

                So soon!…A small voice in the back of my head set off an alarm, but with all of my strength, I fought against it.  There was not a soon enough time to get away from Paris!

                I nodded firmly.  "Yes."

"Do you know where you would like to go?"

                I had not even thought of it.  The only importance was that it was far…Far away from here. 

"I don't mind…Anywhere…"

                His tone was so kind now that the incident earlier had disappeared completely.  "You have a little time to think…"

                He finally stepped away from me, and I felt a new feeling of disappointment…

"You have eaten nothing today.  Are you hungry?"

                In-between all that had occurred, hunger had utterly vanished in my mind.  Even now, I felt nothing but slightly sick at the thought of food.  The last thing I had eaten was an elegant banquet at Raoul's estate…

                _Crushed rose petals_…I could still smell those beautiful flowers…_Far after it has faded…_

                I shivered a bit and shook my head.  "No.  Not really."

                Erik seemed satisfied with that answer, and for that I was grateful.  If he forced me to, I doubted I could eat more then a breadcrumb.

"You will tell me if you are?"

                Did I want him to kiss me?

"Of course."  I nodded, drawing in my breath carefully.  

                I was going completely mad.


	9. Chapter IX

**Chapter IX**

**                As long as the day is light, the sun shines in the sky, a dazzling, gleaming gold.  It gives off such a brightness that a man cannot even gaze at it for a moment for fear of being damaged by its awesome power.  Its brilliance is so overwhelming and vast that mere eyes alone can never comprehend the magnitude of its supremacy.  Yet a man's eyes are still afforded some small glimpse of its capabilities…Its abilities to be both harsh and cruel in heat and destruction as well as soft and gentle, nurturing growth.  Yes, we can see this sometimes…But for the most part, the sun moves past us, relatively unnoticed and unacknowledged as we go about our lives, generally ignoring it…Taking its presence for granted.  Man has learned to fear the consequences of staring into its incomprehensible magnificence, for if he does, he will only be blinded by a genius which will forever be beyond his understanding.   Yes, the sun has many defenses, for it will allow no man to ever see past its dazzling surface, coated with illusion—Not during the height of day, at least.  It is only as this blinding sphere begins to sink into its fall that man can finally catch a clear glimpse of the sun's true colors—No longer clear and white, but seeped with burning red and vermilion as it falls into darkness.  Throughout the entire day, we are deceived by one perception, and by the time the truth is revealed, it is too late as the blackness of night has already come upon us.**

**                As I now watched the crimson sun slip below the skyline of Paris through the windows of the Vicomte de Chagny's hospital room, a shudder chilled my flesh.  The sun was the color of blood.  There was absolutely no way to redeem it into its purity of white light.  Not in this day.  And the smothering twilight was already enveloping in an unremitting embrace.**

**                But had Erik ever been pure?  There must have been a time, for no man is born evil…And I had trusted in his morality…I had known there to be goodness in him.  I had seen him turn his eyes away in hidden repulsion when my vulgar Persian ruler had giggled in glee as each of his victims fell in the sickeningly grotesque displays of death that made up her summer afternoons' amusement.  Yes, there was good in him then.  So when had he set?  When was it that he fell below the horizon into the lightless void?  Was it she?  Christine Daaé…He had fallen in love and, at the same time, fallen off the deep end of the Earth.  How was it that something so wholesome and good as love was what finally drove him into blackness!  Only Erik…**

**                But that is not right…It was not his love for her that did it.  It was her love for him.  In a way, she did love him, yes; I know that she did.  But it was not what he wanted.  He wanted her and she wanted someone else.  That young man who lay in restless sleep behind me on the hospital bed.  Not only had Erik tried to murder him, but he had made a point of creating the matter into a sickening display of dramatic effect.  Why?  He had no audience to impress!  Why?  To satisfy his own fancy for the spectacular?  It made me ill to think of it and I lay my hand against the cool glass of the window as the lamps began to flicker to life in the street below me.  **

**                Raoul make a sound in his sleep, but I did not look back at him.  It was far from the first he had made.  Last night, under the heavy influence of drugs, he had slept in fits of anguished moaning.  I had not stayed here all day, but had been out a few times, trying to gather what I could about how to deal with this situation.  So far I had come up with nothing.  Nothing that did not require the involvement of professional officials…He would want to be involved too, of course.  But that could not be allowed.  How would I manage to get him to stay here, hot-blooded youth that he was?  I might have to resort to having the doctors strap him to the bed.  The entire mission would be useless, after all, if he went and got himself killed before we could rescue his poor, imprisoned fiancée.**

**                In his brief periods of wakefulness today he had already begun to insist upon taking action.  I, as well as the doctors had insisted that he needed his rest, but I knew that deterrent would not keep him here much longer.  When he awoke again, he would want to leave.  He needed to stay where he would be safe…Though as my eyes now surveyed the streets below and the surrounding buildings, I began to wonder just how safe we actually were here…Just how safe we would be anywhere…**

~~~~~~~~~******~~~~~~~~~******~~~~~~~~~

**"I've rested all day.  Are you satisfied yet?"**

**                Raoul's sudden question alerted me that he had finally emerged from his restive state of sleep.  I was beginning to see how this young man managed to get on Erik's nerves so easily.  After being told numerous times the importance of staying in a safe location, he had only just awoken and already resumed his persistence to leave.**

**                There was a pause as he waited for my answer, and then he demanded, impatiently, "Well?"**

**                Sighing, edgily, I turned to look at him.**

**"Oh!  You're awake!"**

**                He frowned at me in irritation and I scrutinized him from across the small room.  There was obviously greater strength in his seated stature, and he seemed less crippled by the pain of his injuries.  The treatment at the hospital had done wonders for his condition compared to the limited care he had received at the Opera.**

**"How do you feel?"**

**"Fabulous," he answered, his voice soaked in sarcasm.**

**                I nodded understandingly.  Not only must the physical ache be terrible for him, but I was also well aware of his state of emotional affliction.  Observing him as he had slept, it was obvious that his slumber had not been peaceful.**

**"They replaced your bandages while you were asleep.  But we cannot keep you here much longer.  Do you have any other place to stay?  A country estate?  Family in another province?"**

**"I am not leaving the country," he practically shouted.  "I am _not_ running!  I am staying right here!  _In_ Paris!   And I am saving my fiancée!"**

**                His stubborn perseverance was grating on my already tattered nerves.**

**"If you stay here, he will kill you."**

**"He hasn't yet!  He doesn't even know we're here!  We have to get Christine from him."**

**"He hasn't yet because we are in a public hospital.  But as soon as you leave, he will."**

**"I can't stay here forever!  I have to face him sometime!  He must free Christine!"**

**"He will not free her willingly as long as she is willing to stay with him."**

**                My fist pounded against the windowsill in frustration, and I paced across the room, his two pale blue eyes following my movement between the wraps of gauze.**

**"If only I could speak with her!  But he would not let me near her.  She might as well be dead to us."**

**"My God!"  He was appalled at the idea.  "You have to get to her somehow!  There has to be a way…"**

**                I shook my head, thinking aloud the course of plans I had been trying to string together.**

**"If we could get to them by force…But who knows where that could lead…"**

** "Force!  That's the key!…But how?"**

**                I stopped pacing, folding my arms stiffly, thinking over the many possible scenarios I had conceived in these past hours.**

**"Through the torture chamber…With many men and heavy mallets…You are in no condition to try it…But if I spoke with the Opera's managers…And the police…"**

**                But that would mean the death of Erik…It could be done.  It was possible.  But was it worth such a price?  Would depriving the world of such a man as Erik truly be a blessing or a curse?  He had tried to kill Raoul.  It was not a half-hearted attempt.  Erik seriously believed he had murdered the Vicomte, and that was just as bad as having actually done it.  He had promised to me long ago never to again cause the death of any other human being.  Obviously, promises meant nothing anymore.  And what of his other crimes?  How many murders did I witness in Persia?  How many victims fell to his lasso and fried in his torture chamber?  And how many before I had ever known him?  Far, far too many.  They had been forgiven by the promise, but the pledge was now broken.  If he had betrayed his vow to me, then I had no choice but to betray the secrecy he trusted me to keep.**

**"Yes!"  The Vicomte seemed to find the idea a much more enjoyable prospect than I had.  "Let's go.  As quickly as possible.  Come on!  Get me out of this place…"**

**                He struggled to stand and I quickly pushed him back down to rest on the hospital bed.**

**"No!"**

**"…What!"**

** "You must stay here."**

**                He was irate enough to match his perplexity.**

**"There is no way!—I _have_ to go!"**

**"You are in no condition to go anywhere."**

**"I do not care!  I am going!  I need to see her; don't you understand?"**

**"I will not allow it."  My determination was as set as stone and he could see there was no pushing past it.**

**                He cried out in frustration, falling back against the pillows.  "Then you go!  But you come back!"**

**                Why do I have to do this!  Why have you made me resort to this, Erik?  It could be handled so easily!  Why this?  Why make it this difficult?  Why make me do this to you?  You have pushed me to the point where I cannot turn back again, Erik.  This is your doing.  Whatever I must do to you now, you have brought all upon yourself.  I wash my hands of your stains!  There could be so many simpler, less tragic ways…Why is it you so relish the complications?  Why make a game of these peoples' misery?  It could have all been resolved so easily…**

**"Perhaps I could talk to him again…" I began, but ended that thought as Erik's chilling voice swept through my mind once more.  He would kill me if I came back.  That was one truth I knew for certain.**

**"No, no…"  Raoul knew how useless those efforts were as well as I did.  "If we've learned anything from this, it's that talking does not work."**

**                He was right.  I knew that.  I sank into my chair again, leaning forward, tearing the cap from my head and running my hands through my hair in aggravation.  **

**"All right," he continued after a moment of silent thought.  "Just…We will use force.  Please. We have to get to Christine."**

**"He will be killed."**

**"And your point?"**

**                I looked up at him, exasperated at such a void of compassion.**

** "_What_?" he snapped, pushing himself up again.  "I'm sorry if I do not have much respect for the life of a man who has attempted more than once to murder me and is lying to my fiancée to keep her with him!"**

**"And if men die trying to get to him?"**

**                He adverted his eyes.  I had managed to finally impress upon him the severity of the rash actions we were devising against this all-powerful fiend.  This would be no frolic at a masked ball, but a perilous mission where men's lives would be at stake.  Not only had we Erik himself to fear, but I also knew his entire underground domain was rigged with deathtraps and full of hellish hidden secrets.**

**"Maybe only we should try.  Just you and I."  His offer was weak and half-hearted, and it was then that I first understood that this man actually cared nothing for who else would be hurt in the attempt so long as he accomplished his goal.  But the notion was ridiculous.  Just we?  Such an endeavor would amount to nothing more than a suicide mission.  If he did not realize this, perhaps his brain had suffered more in the fire than his skin.**

**"You would not last a minute…And I am no match for him."**

**                I stood again, sighing and he echoed the sound in hopelessness, the bandages of his hand meeting those on his forehead as he sat in agitated thought.  Evidently it did him no good as he suddenly cried out again in exasperation:**

**"We have to do something!"**

**                I moved past the bed, explaining the plan I had begun to devise.**

**"I will talk to the police…Perhaps they will believe me.  With any luck…"**

**"Get him when he's vulnerable…" he added, picking up on my theme. **

**                I turned to look back at him incredulously.**

**"You think he is vulnerable?"**

**"No," he agreed with the utmost reluctance.  "I mean…He has to let Christine leave the cellars at some time.  And maybe…We can wait.  And try to catch them when he does…"**

**"Does he?  What makes you think he will not simply keep her locked down there?"**

**                I knew Erik's ways.  He did not have to do anything he did not wish to do.  He possessed endless means to attain his desired results.**

**"Good God…"  Raoul actually seemed shocked to hear me ask such a question.  "He would do that?  Even if she asked?"**

**                It was not a matter of asking!  As far as Christine Daaé might know, there could not be any reason for ever even wanting to leave.  Erik's ways of bending reality to his whim were incomprehensible, and there was no way I could deduct which he had used in this case!  Not without more information.  Not without hearing from Christine myself.**

**"I do not know what he has told her to make her want to stay."**

**                He sighed heavily, but thankfully, he agreed.  I took up my coat and hat from the chair and turned to the door.  My thoughts were too grave with possibilities and conjectures to offer a goodbye, but his misery-filled voice called me back just before I left.**

**"Will they believe you?"**

**                I did not even look at him.  There was a very good chance they would simply not believe me at all.  A rumored ghost living under a theatre having kidnapped a young woman who had willingly returned to him?  There was a high possibility I would only be laughed at and turned away.  How could such a fantastic case be made to appear true?  How would I explain all the leading circumstances?**

**"I don't know."**

**"Marvelous."**

**                The pitiable boy!  There was such little hope…No solid assurance to help ease his despair.  Not only was he at risk of losing the woman he loved, the person he hoped to spend the rest of his life with, but also I knew that he blamed himself.  Could he have prevented this from happening?  I was not sure, but he was so certain he could have that he had even been crying it out in his wretched sleep.**

**"Alright…Go," he consented, noticing my hesitance to leave him in such a state.  "But _hurry_ back!"**

**"If I don't come back, assume they've locked me up in the asylum."**

**                With that, I placed the hat on my head and left.**


End file.
